Labyrinth Revisited
by vampirateloyal
Summary: It's been 3 years since her final showdown with Jareth. When an old friend comes to her for help, she finds herself face to face with a new threat to this strange world. Will Sarah and Jareth be able to survive each other AND the numerous dangers ahead?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not claim Jareth, Sarah, the Labyrinth or any of Jim Henson's lovely creations.**

**PROLOGUE**

* * *

Sarah laughed joyously as she danced around her room, clutching the silvery-white gown to her chest. She had been looking forward to this night for weeks, not for the dancing, general merriment, or even the boy who would be here to pick her up in just a few short minutes. She had been waiting for this night simply for the chance to finally wear this dress. The fabric fluttered softly in the breeze as she spun to a stop in front of her mirror. The first glimpse of her reflection startled her, and she let out a loud gasp.

She paused, squeezed her eyes shut, and then opened them for a second glance. It revealed nothing out of the ordinary: a young girl (barely 18) getting ready for her senior prom. But for a brief moment she had seen herself in the same dress from before... the dress that this one reminded her of so much that she had bought it immediately without so much as looking at any of the others. This dress was much more sleek than the other one, without so much puff in the skirt and sleeves, but its likeness was still enough to invoke a memory that both frightened and thrilled her... her dance with a man that she missed terribly, yet desperately wanted to forget.

Jareth.

The name burned at the back of her mind, daring her to speak it aloud. Sarah turned away from the mirror and quickly darted into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She undressed and slid the gorgeous silk fabric up her legs, catching the sleeves with her arms and fastening the dress closed between her shoulder blades. She turned to the bathroom mirror and began to pull her hair up while willing all images of _him_ out of her head. _Forget Jareth. Forget the labyrinth. Think only about tonight. _She ordered herself silently.

It didn't take her very long to get ready, since she had practiced her hair and makeup dozens of times over the past several weeks. As she was touching up her lipstick, she heard the doorbell ring downstairs. She smiled and took one last look in the mirror, satisfied that every hair was in place, then raced out of the bathroom. She slowed at the top of the stairs and descended gracefully, smiling down at her date who regarded her with pride and awe. Obviously she had prepared well.

Her parents stood to the side, along with Toby, Sarah's baby brother. It had been only three years since Toby had been kidnapped and taken to the labyrinth, and, much to Sarah's surprise, Toby remembered every minute of it. Sarah fought back a shudder as she recalled Toby saying his first word... "Goblin". Her dad and stepmother had found it adorable, thinking that he had simply learned it from one of Sarah's books. When he got a little older, he had begun to talk to Sarah about the castle, and about the "nice man" that had he had met there. Merely a year ago, he had given her the scare of her life when he told her that the man had come to see him in his dream the night before. Toby babbled on incessantly about the "pretty castle" and the "big yard", then asked Sarah if they could go see it.

"He said he'd take us, Sawa!" He announced excitedly. "I have ta do is wish it!"

Sarah didn't sleep for three weeks after that.

Looking back over that final moment in the labyrinth, her final showdown with Jareth, she couldn't help but think of how close she had come to failing. If she had been even one second later uttering the words, they both would have been trapped in Jareth's castle forever. Yet somehow the line that she never seemed to be able to remember had emblazoned itself in her mind at the very moment she needed it: _You have no power over me_. She had never taken her brother for granted after that experience, and they had grown to be very close over the past few years.

Toby stretched his arms out towards Sarah when her foot left the last step. She hurried over, picked him up and gave him a big hug. "Hey Toby. What do you think, huh?"

"You look like a princess, Sarah!" Toby exclaimed with brightness that only a child could muster, and lightly touched a finger to one of the flowers that she had carefully tucked into her hair.

Karen laughed. "Out of the mouths of babes!" she quoted. She gestured with her eyes towards Sarah's date and held up a camera. Sarah nodded and gave Toby one last squeeze before putting him down, then took her place beside Tom.

Tom, though he was a very sweet guy, just wasn't Sarah's type. It wasn't a date so much as a favor to both of them. Sarah wanted her day to shine, and Tom had simply needed a date. The two of them made the decision together, but Sarah made it crystal clear that they were only going as friends.

Tom casually threw his arm around Sarah as Karen snapped away roll after roll of film. "Just one more!" Karen kept saying, but she always went back on her word when she found something wrong with the photo. Either it was too blurry, the light had caught it wrong, or someone's eyes were halfway closed.

"Karen, enough! Let the poor kids go!" Her father laughed.

"Just one more!" Karen protested as she continued clicking away.

After several more minutes, the two of them were finally able to duck out the front door and run to the limo. "This is amazing! How on earth did you pull this off, Tom?" Sarah exclaimed as she ducked into the backseat. Tom laughed and puffed out his chest proudly as he held the door open for her.

"Hey, it's prom. Might as well go all out with it, right?" he said proudly. Once her door was shut, he ran around to the other side and hopped in alongside her.

As the limo pulled away, an owl hooted from its perch on a nearby tree. It spread its wings and took off into the sky, following the path of the limo from a distance towards the high school gymnasium.


	2. Chapter 1 An Old Friend

**CHAPTER 1: AN OLD FRIEND**

The limo pulled to a stop and Tom tripped over himself running to the other side to get Sarah's door. "You know, you really don't need to do that every time." Sarah laughed as she stood, brushing away the creases in her dress and reaching for Tom's hand. "You ready to knock 'em dead?" she teased.

Tom grinned crookedly, a flaw that only made him cuter, at least in Sarah's opinion. He really wasn't all that bad... he was a little on the skinny side, with messy dark hair and bright blue eyes. He had a fondness for the color green, which showed in every outfit he put together, including his suit. He adjusted his pistacio-colored tie before taking Sarah's hand. "You betcha!" he replied.

They were stopped at the door. A chaperone welcomed them warmly before turning to rummage through a nearby box. She emerged with two masquerade masks that matched their outfits perfectly. Sarah accepted hers as she stared wide-eyed through the doors of the gymnasium. The students twirled and danced across the floor in their masks, surrounded in a sea of white and gold trim that hung from the walls. She had been prepared for this moment, the deja vu she would feel when seeing the masquerade theme, but she had never dreamed it would be such an accurate depiction of the episode she had experienced in the labyrinth. All that was missing were Jareth's eyes darting in and out of her line of vision as she wondered mindlessly through the crowd of dancers.

"Is everything okay?" Tom asked Sarah, lightly touching her shoulder.

Sarah snapped out of her daze. "Yes, sorry. I'm fine." she muttered. "Let's go."

Tom put on his mask after staring for a moment, unconvinced. "You seem distracted, that's all." he pressed as he led her into the large room, pausing to stand at the edge of the dance floor.

Sarah took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm just drinking it all in. It really is amazing."

Tom sniffed. "It's okay... I wish they could have come up with a better theme."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I think it's perfect... there's only one thing missing."

Tom nodded as she slipped the mask over her eyes and grinned at him. "Let's dance, mystery girl!" He teased as he held out his hand.

He led her out onto the floor as a slow song began blaring from the carefully hidden speakers. The music closed in around Sarah as she began to dance with Tom, and at that moment she felt as though she were fifteen again. She could still remember _his_ smile, _his_ stare, the way _his_ arms had felt as they had locked around her. She moved closer and rested her head on Tom's shoulder; unaware of the fact that Tom relished this gesture in a completely different way than she did. Her eyes closed and she began to picture Jareth's face, so strong and fierce, yet somehow so... gentle. Though she had warned herself not to, she found herself completely lost in the memory. However, she found to her dismay that she was missing only one piece of the puzzle... she had actually managed to forget his voice.

This was purposeful, of course. She had been terrified after she'd returned from the labyrinth that even hearing his voice in her mind might somehow call him back to her and start the cycle of events all over again. She couldn't risk the possibility that he might use that moment to return... for Toby, for revenge. She convinced herself over and over that it was for the best, that he was evil and that she should have no part in remembering him, and why should she want to? Her involvement with him only brought her and those around her pain. He was bad news. So why was this such a thrilling moment for her? And why did she thirst for his voice, of all things, so terribly? Just a chance to hear him speak once more, just to say her name...

"Sarah..." Jareth whispered silently to himself as he stood a mere three feet away. She had no idea that he was watching her at that very moment, clad in his own masquerade costume to keep his identity hidden. He continued to gaze longingly at her through the crowd of dancers, waiting for the opportune moment to sweep in and steal her away. Yet something stopped him.

He watched her face as she daydreamed, oblivious to the fact that it was him that she was thinking of. He felt himself panic as he watched the two of them dance. This couldn't happen. He couldn't be too late... could he?

_Sarah, stop it!_ She thought as she cursed herself for being so weak. She could have nothing more to do with such a man. She had to let herself move on. If only she could find some way to distract herself, make herself forget...

When she felt Tom lower his hands to her waist, an idea struck her. _Give him a chance, Sarah... he's a nice guy_, she thought as she leaned back to look into his eyes. She leaned in slowly and, ever so lightly, brushed her lips against Tom's.

Across the room, Jareth witnessed the whole thing, horrified. _I am too late_, he realized as he felt his heart break a second time. "_Sarah... no..."_ he whispered before he silently disappeared out of the nearest exit and into the night.

Sarah smiled against Tom's lips. Okay, so there was no spark. At least she was trying, right? Suddenly Tom responded in a manner she had not expected. He crushed his lips against hers, bringing his hands to the sides of her face. She tried to pull away but when she placed her hand against his chest he took it as a sign to continue, moving only one hand to grasp hers and lock it into place against his chest, where his heartbeat thundered. She finally managed to free herself and back away, her breath ragged from the struggle. "Geez! Tom, enough is enough!" She rasped.

_"NO!!"_

Suddenly everyone's hands flew up to cover their ears as a terrifying yet heartbreaking scream filled the air. The miserable wail was followed by sharp gusts of air, which sent everyone in the building running for the nearest exits. Even Tom took off, his horrified cry barely audible over the noise. Everyone ran but Sarah, who remained frozen in place. Her hands raised to protect her face as leaves, stones and other small bits of debris were caught up and flung by the gusts, some missing her face by only a few inches. The wind stopped abruptly, leaving Sarah with a ringing in her ears. She looked around at the wreck that the dance was left in. Tables were overturned, streamers were ripped from the walls and ceiling and now lay in ragged piles on the floor. Everything was silent... the only sound Sarah could hear was her own erratic breathing as her eyes darted from corner to corner. She felt the same sense of dread come over her as last time. The hairs on her neck prickled the same way they had when Toby's cries abruptly ceased on that fateful night and she'd found his crib empty.

She heard scuffling behind her and whirled around. She saw a shape vanish behind an overturned table, and she slowly crept towards it. She took a deep breath before looking behind it, only to sigh in relief when she found nothing. Her relief was short-lived, however, when a loud crash behind her made her scream and jump before slowly turning around. Someone was hiding behind the main door to the gym, casting a long dark shadow across the floor.

Sarah took a deep breath and set her jaw. _Don't let him see you afraid_, she thought to herself before she spoke. "I know you're there, Jareth. Show yourself. I don't fear you anymore. You have no power over me, remember?"

She braced herself as the shadowy figure moved to stand in the doorway, then squinted in confusion when the figure moved to stand in the door, the framed silhouette much shorter than she had anticipated. Her expression melted as the familiar face made his way towards Sarah cautiously, his hands in the air as if she meant to arrest him.

"Hoggle." The name fell from her lips as they curved into a warm smile. "Boy, am I glad to see you."

Hoggle continued to amble quickly towards her, concern etched in his brow. "Sarah... you must come with me right away. Something has happened."

Sarah looked around and nodded angrily. "Yes, it has! Someone completely ruined my prom!"

Hoggle shook his head. "No Sarah, you don't understand. It's much, much worse than that."

Sarah listened with concern. "What is it, Hoggle?"

He looked at Sarah, pausing to think of the best way to explain. "Sarah... it's Jareth."

Jareth!

Sarah panicked. He was back... he wanted revenge on her. Or worse! He was back for Toby. "I have to get home!" She shrieked as she turned to run, but Hoggle scrambled to grab a hold of her dress in an attempt to stop her.

"No Sarah, wait!" He cried.

She turned back to him. "If Jareth is back, I have to protect Toby!" she argued.

"Toby is fine, Sarah, I promise! It's Jareth I'm worried about!" Hoggle said.

Sarah stared. "What on earth are you talking about?" she demanded. A thought dawned on her. "No... please tell me you haven't sided with the likes of him, Hoggle! I thought we were friends!"

Hoggle waved his hands in the air wildly. "Woah! Of course I haven't!" he exclaimed. He stammered for a minute and then pointed to two overturned chairs. "This is sort of a long story, but I think I can shorthand it. Let's sit down."

Sarah warily followed behind Hoggle, ready to make a run for it at any moment. After they turned the chairs upright, the two of them sat down. Sarah nervously smoothed at her dress as she spoke. "Okay... explain."

Hoggle cleared his throat before he began. "Sarah, believe it or not, a lot changed after you came to the labyrinth... King Jareth especially." he paused to note Sarah's disbelieving stare before he continued. "I knew it would be hard for you to believe, but it's true. He became a very... kind and patient ruler.

"Now, it did take him a while to adjust to this new behavior, and he still has a major attitude problem, but the change was still amazing. He worked nonstop trying to better the kingdom. He cleaned up messes that, in the past, he had cared nothing about. He paid each of his subjects special attention, seeing to their needs and complaints, stuff like that. He even promoted me to castle treasurer." He stopped to puff out his chest proudly.

Sarah smiled. "I'm sure you love that job! Surrounded by shiny things twenty-four seven!"

Hoggle sighed dreamily. "It was always my dream job... he knew that. Told me I'd earned it..." he trailed off, then shook himself back to reality. "Anyway, though everyone in the kingdom had absolutely no complaints about the king's new behavior, we were all still puzzled by it. Then several of the goblins noticed him studying his crystals for hours on end. When I overheard a younger goblin describe a dark-headed maiden he had seen reflected in the crystal ball, I knew that Jareth was watching you."

"Me?" Sarah repeated. "But if he wasn't plotting against me... why?"

Hoggle grinned. "Well, the lot of us all have our opinions on that, but we know he would never admit to it if we asked." he answered, pausing to note the growing smile on Sarah's face before shaking his head. "And I'm willing to make yet another wager on the meaning behind that smile!" he pointed out.

Sarah scoffed and made a dramatic show of rolling her eyes, hoping that Hoggle didn't notice that she was blushing. "Oh, Hoggle! You're being ridiculous!" she assured as she silently wondered if it was Hoggle she was trying to convince... or herself.

"Am I?" He teased, chuckling to himself before he continued. "Anyway, tonight we all noticed him pacing the throne room. Poor King... he looked so nervous... then without a word or explanation to anyone, poof!" Hoggle threw his arms out, causing Sarah to jump involuntarily. "We haven't seen him since... last sign of him was that horrible yell... must've been straddling the two worlds if you could hear it too." he finished sadly.

Sarah thought back to the moment right before she'd heard him scream. She had been dancing with Tom, kissing him...

"No way... he couldn't have seen..." she whispered quietly to herself.

"Seen what?" Hoggle asked.

Her head snapped up and she waved her hand dismissively. "Nothing, Hoggle... forget it..." she answered.

But the thought continued to nag at her... _what if he had..._

"Anyway, that's why I'm here. I was wondering if you would come with me and help me look for him. I know if anyone could get him outta hiding, it's you."

Sarah looked into Hoggle's pleading eyes. He was obviously serious about all of this... and desperate. "Oh... ugh! Okay, fine. Where do I start looking?"

Hoggle grinned and hopped down from his chair. He held out one chubby hand, which Sarah grasped nervously. "Just hold on tight!" he ordered before reaching into a small bag tied to his belt and throwing a handful of strange dust over the both of them. Suddenly Sarah felt like she was falling through space.

Author's note: Sorry, but I did a last-minute rewrite. Lemme know what you think! I'm a little nervous right now... I didn't think I would share this story with anyone.


	3. Chapter 2 Where it All Began

**CHAPTER 2: WHERE IT ALL BEGAN**

The next thing Sarah knew, she was standing on the same hillside she had stood at with Jareth before. She stared in awe at the large labyrinth before her. Gone were the dead trees, the dark clouds and the general gloom that seemed to overshadow it before. Everything was... bright. The sun generously cast its rays across the thousands of wildflowers that carpeted the ground leading to the labyrinth's entrance. The walls of the labyrinth had been washed and decorated with grape vines and even more flowers that covered every square inch of the stones as far into the maze as she could see. The castle proudly stood at the center, as before, but seemed more regal and welcoming than dark and ominous as it had before.

Sarah gaped as she judged the size of the seemingly neverending maze before her. If Jareth was hiding there, she would never find him. And even if she did, what was she supposed to say?

She shook her head and willed herself to focus. One bridge at a time. She looked to Hoggle hopelessly. "How am I even supposed to start?" she whispered.

Hoggle sighed. "Sarah, it's not like you've never done this before! We'll just start at the beginning... like last time."

"You won't leave me?" She said, her voice pleading.

"Of course not... in fact..." Hoggle stopped mid-sentence and whistled sharply. Several shapes emerged from the entrance and ran towards them, cheering and shouting.

Sarah gasped and ran down the hill to greet them mid-way. "Ludo! Sir Didymus!" She screamed and laughed as Ludo grabbed her into a bear hug.

"Shawa back!" Ludo exclaimed, crushing her against him with an iron grip.

Sarah struggled to breathe. "Yes Ludo... Sarah's back... let's keep it that way!" She said between struggled breaths. Ludo realized his own strength and gently lowering her to her feet.

Sir Didymus trotted forward on his noble "steed" and extended a paw. "Pleasure to see you again, fair lady!"

Sarah laughed and shook his paw before turning back to Hoggle, who had slowly followed behind her. "All right... I definitely feel more confident now! Let's get going!" she announced.

"Not so fast!" A disembodied voice boomed around the group. Sarah looked around wildly, then jumped when a shape began to form before her. A dark ribbon of smoke curled and twisted into the form of a tall, elegant silhouette, then faded to reveal the man who had spoken.

He had sharp features, an angular face shape and a cold unyielding glare that tore through Sarah like ice cold fire. He threw back a blood-red cloak to reveal himself clad in black armor from head to toe. His jet back hair blew freely in the breeze as he ventured a step forward, forcing Sarah to back up.

"Rivan..." Hoggle growled the name through gritted teeth. "Have you forgotten that Jareth banished you from this land? Away with you!"

"And exactly what do you plan to do about it?" The man replied in a deep voice that seemed to echo across the hills. He raised his arm and, with a simple wave of his hand, sent Hoggle flying with a strong, unseen force. Hoggle cried out in pain as he rolled the rest of the way down the hill.

Sarah screamed when she heard his head smack against a tree and saw him sprawl out on the grass, unconscious. "Hoggle!" she cried out in terror. She turned to run to his aid but found that her feet were frozen in place. She struggled for several moments before turning to face Rivan. "Let me go." She ordered, enunciating every syllable with as much anger and warning as she could muster.

He simply laughed. "Oh my dear, I mean you no harm. Just go back to where you came from and all will be well."

"I don't think so." Sarah growled, shaking her head. "Jareth will unleash unspeakable wrath on you when I find him."

Rivan released his hold on her and laughed as she shrieked and tumbled to the floor. "Ah, but you see, that's the problem! Jareth no longer has any say over me, or anything having to do with this realm!"

Ludo helped Sarah to her feet while Sir Didymus rode down the hill to tend to Hoggle. Sarah faced Rivan again, her temper flaring. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

Rivan continued. "Why, he's left his throne, my dear! Therefore, this kingdom no longer has a ruler! At least for now." he smiled wickedly, casting his eyes towards the castle. "My my, what Jareth has done to this place. It used to be so dark, so wonderfully gloomy... what on earth happened to him?" he muttered to himself. "Eh, no matter. I'll soon see to that."

"NO!" Sarah yelled as she foolishly began stomping towards him. With another wave of his hand she was sent flying to the ground. She winced as a sharp rock dug into her spine. She growled and stood again, advancing towards him a second time. "You will rule this kingdom over my dead body, Rivan!"

"That could be arranged." he mocked, sending another wave of energy to knock her down once more. Sarah propped herself up on her elbows as he moved to stand over her. "Here's the deal, pretty one." he spat. "As soon as I navigate this labyrinth and sit upon that throne, this kingdom is mine. Your precious Jareth has been stripped of his powers, and I doubt he will find his way before me without them, so he has no chance of beating me. I suggest you leave while you still can, because once I am king my first order will be to chop off your pretty little head. Am I clear?"

Sarah challenged his stare with her own. "We will see who is king... I've found my way before, and I'll do it again if I have to."

"Your funeral." Rivan said before turning on his heels and advancing towards the entrance. He turned to laugh wickedly once more before he disappeared into the maze.

Sarah scrambled to her feet and followed Ludo as he trotted down the hill towards Hoggle, who had come to but was still too woozy to stand. She fell to her knees and threw her arms around him. "Hoggle! Thank God you're okay!"

Hoggle struggled against her, slapping at her arms until she let go. "Stop it! Stop fussing over me! Things are much worse than I thought. We have to find Jareth right now!"

Sarah nodded. "You're right. I know we can get him to that castle if we find him."

"Ludo scared!" Ludo whimpered behind Sarah.

Sarah turned to give Ludo a reassuring pat on the arm. "It'll be okay, Ludo. But first we have to get your king back." She looked to all three of them. "Does anyone know where he might have gone?"

Sir Didymus and Ludo stared at the ground silently, lost in thought. But Hoggle slowly stood, staggering for a moment before regaining his balance, then turned to point to one of the many hidden entrances to the labyrinth. "I just thought of something. Jareth's favorite thinking spot was always hidden somewhere on that path."

Sarah nodded and rose to her feet. "Then let's go."

They ventured into the twisting, turning labyrinth. As she had expected, Sarah saw nothing that looked the slightest bit familiar. She suspected, however, that no one could solve the labyrinth twice using the same methods. It was a strange place, a place that was always moving, always changing. This would be just as difficult, if not moreso, than the last time. Something drove her forward though... but was it a love for the kingdom, a love for her friends, or possibly a love for something else?

Suddenly Hoggle stopped and turned down a section that led to what appeared to be a dead end. They had all been traveling through the maze for what felt like several hours, so Sarah could only guess where they could possibly be at this point. Sarah walked towards the dead end, expecting it to be an illusion that would lead to more paths, but her hands reached forward to feel nothing but a vine-covered wall. She scanned the corners and areas around the wall, then turned back to Hoggle. "I don't understand... there's nothing here."

Hoggle shook his head and shoved her aside, taking her place in front of the wall. "Hey! Wake up!" he yelled.

Sarah gasped as two long cracks in the stone opened and revealed themselves to be eyes. A muffled sound was heard, and Hoggle began moving aside the grapevines, which protested in small, irritated voices.

_Hey!_

_Knock it off!_

_We're growin' here!_

"Oh shut up!" muttered Hoggle as he finished brushing them aside. The opening he cleared was revealed to be the mouth of the wall. It coughed and sputtered for a moment, then spoke.

"Ah... thank you. I told Jareth that it wasn't necessary to do that, but... oops."

Sarah's eyes brightened. "You know where Jareth is?"

The wall looked panicked. "Um... no! No of course not!"

"But you just said his name!"

"I don't know anything! He could be anywhere behind this door! I... oops."

"Please open up! It's an emergency! His kingdom is in danger!" Sarah pleaded.

The wall closed its eyes and muttered something unintelligible, then spoke. "I am fully aware of what is going on, but I'm afraid I cannot open. I am under orders from my king."

"Well he's not the king at the moment, is he?" Sir Didymus yapped.

"I will continue to serve Jareth until the moment that another takes the throne. My allegiance to him will remain true until the end." the wall replied.

"Oh for heaven's sake! Open the door!" Hoggle yelped. He reared one leg back in preparation to kick the wall, but Sarah ran forward and grabbed him.

"Hoggle, no!" She ordered. He struggled for a few moments, then sighed and went limp in her arms. When she was sure he was calm, she tried again. She had a plan. "Please, is there no way I can get through?" She asked, phrasing her words carefully.

"Not unless you tell me the password! And unless you say 'Grindeloof' to me I... oops."

Sarah smiled triumphantly. "All right then... Grindeloof!"

The wall sighed and swung forward, letting the group pass. As Sarah walked by she could hear the wall muttering, "Unbelievable... it's a wonder King Jareth let me keep this job..."

"Sorry..." Sarah whispered to it sincerely. The wall merely sighed and offered a tiny smile in reply.

The door shut behind them, leaving them afloat in a dark patch of space that appeared to have no floor or walls, only stars and blackness. Sarah looked around her, then her gaze instinctively drifted upwards.

There, directly above her, floated a large crystal ball, atop of which sat none other than the former king of the goblins... Jareth.

Sarah's breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. He looked exactly the same, except for his face. She had never seen such defeat in his eyes before. He continued to stare upward into the endless space, his eyes glistening as the stars reflected off of them. _Jareth_, Sarah mouthed his name. Suddenly, as if she had called out to him, he turned his face downward and met her gaze. His startled eyes locked with hers and his lips slowly parted.

"... Sarah?"


	4. Chapter 3 Marching Forth

Okay, I'm a lousy updater. I know, I know. Things have been very dramatic and rough in my personal life lately, and I'm just now getting my muse back. Hopefully I won't have that long of an absence again.

I should also warn you that I have another story idea churning in the back of my mind, so I might find my mind stretched over two stories before long. Those who are flitty about writing like I am will hopefully understand what I'm talking about. lol

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CHAPTER 3: MARCHING FORTH

Jareth and Sarah both remained motionless as their gazes locked onto one another. Their minds raced.

_He's here, he's really here._

_My God I've finally lost my mind. I'm hallucinating!_

_Has he really changed? He looks the same._

_Pull yourself together, Jareth! You can't let her see you like this!_

_I suppose I look different to him... I wonder what he thinks of me now..._

_She is so damn beautiful..._

_Focus you idiot! Breathe!_

_Focus you idiot! Breathe!_

It was Sarah who finally spoke, regretfully tearing herself away from her thoughts long enough to focus on the task at hand. She wanted nothing more than to confront him about what happened at the prom, and about what Hoggle had told her. That would have to come later though, after she got him back to the castle and everyone was safe again. "Jareth, something horrible has happened. You have to come with us now."

_Us?_ It was then that Jareth finally noticed everyone else. He blinked. "Blast that door." He muttered.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "It's time to stop sulking and go back to your throne, Jareth, before it's too late."

Jareth hesitated before speaking; turning his face to the side to avoid Sarah's eyes that once again teased at him cruelly. _Why was she here now, anyway?_ He though to himself angrily

"No." he answered her blankly.

Sarah's eyes widened. "No?!" she repeated, her voice going up several octaves.

"You heard me. I said no. Now leave me."

Sarah's looked on in disbelief. "Don't you realize that you're leaving the fate of your kingdom to anyone who happens to plop down on that throne next?"

"And what does that matter? Let someone else do the job. I'm tired of it."

Sarah opened her mouth to reply, but Hoggle spoke suddenly. "My King, you don't understand. Your brother Rivan has learned of your abdication and is on his way to the castle as we speak!"

Sarah looked from Jareth to Hoggle, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. _Brother?_

Jareth groaned and brought his fist down against the crystal. "Damn! Can my luck get any worse?" He continued to rant, spewing countless obscenities as he slid from his perch and gracefully floated downward. He began to pace back and forth, muttering too low for anyone to hear what he was saying. Then he absentmindedly waved at the crystal in an attempt to perform some magical command.

The crystal, however, remained motionless. Jareth motioned again and again, his anger growing more and more prominent. "What in the hell is going on?" he roared. His arm jerked back and forth as he continued to attempt even the slightest manipulation of the crystal, which continued to remain nonresponsive despite his strongest efforts.

Hoggle finally reached into his bag and threw the same dust he'd used before over the crystal. It gently began to lower, carrying the illusion of the surrounding galaxy along with it. The scenery faded into a simple meadow housing only a small stream and a large weeping willow that curved over the trickling water.

Jareth stared at Hoggle helplessly. "What is this? Why don't my powers work?"

"You lost them when you left the throne, your majesty..." Hoggle spoke softly, stepping forward carefully to pat the former king's arm reassuringly.

Jareth's head drooped and his shoulders slumped. "Then it really is over. Go. There's nothing anyone can do now." he sighed as he turned and walked away. He stepped underneath the leafy canopy of the willow and slumped against it, allowing his body to slide town the trunk until he sat on the ground. He reached into a small hole at the base of the tree and pulled out what looked like a bottle of cheap liquor.

The trio stood behind Sarah as she sadly looked on. The defeat in his eyes had brought forth such a strong, excruciating ache in her chest, and for a moment she wondered if it was her heart breaking. She felt the overwhelming urge to go to him, to heal the hurt that radiated from his eyes, no matter how desperately he tried to hide it.

She turned around to find six pairs of eyes looking at her, silently pleading. Hoggle nodded towards Jareth, and she smiled in avid agreement. She motioned them away for some privacy. They backed away as she walked forward and stopped across the stream from Jareth.

The grass rustled as she sat down, alerting Jareth to her presence. He slowly eased one eye open, then the other. "Sarah, please go." he groaned. "It won't be safe here for you here much longer."

"Then make it safe for me. Come with us before it really is too late." she begged him.

Jareth stood and leaned back against the willow. "It's not that easy..." his voice trailed off as he stared ahead, his eyes trained on empty space. He took a long swig from the bottle and offered it to Sarah, who shook her head at it with disgust.

"I really don't think that sitting here and getting drunk will get you anywhere, Jareth." she said. She quickly snatched the bottle out of his hands and tossed it to the side. It bounced along the ground and rolled to a stop several yards from where they were sitting.

Jareth scrambled to his feet. "You... you little...!" he sputtered as he stomped over to the discarded bottle, scowling when he found the contents spilled out over the grass. He brought his foot down on the bottle, shattering it. He spun around and stomped back to the tree, angrily plopping back down across from Sarah, who watched him curiously.

"Now will you please listen to me?" Sarah begged.

Jareth shook his head stubbornly. "You defy me, you ignore me for three years, then you decide to just drop in on what is supposed to be a SECRET place!" Jareth turned yell in Hoggle's direction.

Hoggle's head popped up from behind a faraway hill. "I'm sorry, Sire!" he cried out. "I was only thinkin of you!"

"Oh shut up!" Jareth yelled as his hand absently probed around the roots of the willow. Sighing with relief he extracted a second bottle and turned back to Sarah, clutching the liquor protectively against his chest. "And then... you take my rum." He said, his mouth forming a slight pout as he unscrewed the lid and took another swig, wincing as the alcohol burned his throat.

"Don't you care at all?" Sarah pleaded. "They're all counting on you! Are you really going to hide out here like the coward I know you're not?"

Jareth froze when she faced him with those accusing eyes. Your eyes can be so cruel... his own words echoed in his mind. "No!" He replied defensively. "Of course I care, Sarah! But without my powers I don't have a chance in he-"

"Jareth," Sarah cut him off. "You won't have to do it alone. We'll all be with you. And you forget, I've solved this Labyrinth before."

Jareth felt himself beginning to grow annoyed. Like he really needed to be reminded of that right now. "It will be different this time, Sarah. It's always different. You should know that by now."

"Aren't you willing to at least try?"

Jareth was silent for a moment, at a loss for words. _Just tell her the truth, then blame it on the liquor later._ he thought to himself. He spoke his carefully and calmly. "Sarah, things became different after you. Something in all of us changed. The only talk I heard for months was about you, and how missed you were." he paused. He wanted so much to admit that he'd missed her too, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words. "I really tried to better myself, to better this kingdom. I worked so hard, and all for... for..."

"For what?" Sarah urged him on.

_For you, Sarah! It's always for you!_ "For... for everyone. But it just wasn't enough. Something was always amiss, something I could never seem to fill to matter how hard I tried. So I gave up."

Sarah stood and crossed the stream to stand at Jareth's side. She placed a hand on his shoulder, which he acknowledged with wide eyes. "Jareth, you have done a wonderful job. When I saw this place again, I could hardly believe it was the same place that I visited before." Sarah lowered her head to catch Jareth's downward stare. "Jareth, this kingdom needs you. You're their king, and a great king at that."

Jareth's heart melted as she spoke these kind words to him, wishing desperately that he knew how to express what they really meant to him. He had spent most of his existence using manipulative means and force to get what he wanted. He had never learned to simply tell someone how he felt, or ask them if they felt the same way. How could he possibly explain to her that everything he had done had been for her, and only for her? How could he tell her that the sight of her kissing another man had driven him to quite possibly the stupidest act of carelessness in his entire life? And how could he admit that it still meant little to him, knowing that the throne beside him would forever remain empty?

_She's right._ The little voice in his head kept saying, and he knew it was true. It didn't matter what he wanted now. He had to think of everyone else. That was simply the way a king had to be. The kingdom always comes first. It was time to accept defeat for the first time in his life and walk forward.

"All right," Jareth sighed as Sarah broke into a wide smile. "I'll come."

Sarah punched her fist into the air and let out a loud "Whoop!", causing Jareth to jump. She giggled and waved everyone else over. They all ran to them, cheering with every hurried step. "Okay," Sarah began as everyone crowded around them. "We'll need everyone's expertise to get through the labyrinth before Rivan does." She turned to Hoggle, who stood straight and gave her a tiny salute. "Hoggle, you'll help us navigate the labyrinth. You know this place better than anyone. I know you can do it!"

Hoggle stuttered. "N-n-now, Sarah, I don't think I know enough to -"

Sarah shook her head. "It was enough last time, and it will be enough this time." She turned to Ludo before Hoggle could make any more protests. "Ludo, if you don't mind I'd like for Jareth and I to ride on your shoulders. That way we can see over the walls and hopefully give ourselves an advantage. Is that okay?"

Ludo nodded. "Okay Shawa." he growled softly.

Sarah then turned to Sir Didymus, who proudly sat atop his faithful steed, Ambrosius. He pricked his ears forward to listen. "Sir Didymus, I want you to be our guard. If you see or smell any danger up ahead, let us know."

Didymus nodded and tapped his staff against the ground. "You are safe with me, dear lady!" he assured her. Ambrosius trotted forward and gave Sarah's hand a friendly lick. Sarah laughed and scratched him behind the ear.

Sarah turned to find Jareth watching her with an amused look on his face. "You seem to have a way with my subjects, Sarah." he teased. "Perhaps it is you who should be taking the throne."

She rolled her eyes. "I can't help it if I'm good at strategy." She replied. She walked over to Ludo, who lifted her onto his right shoulder, then beckoned to Jareth with one finger. "Now, shut up and hop on."

Jareth laughed and did as he was asked, easily settling into Ludo's warm fur.

Sarah smiled as the group began to march forward towards the doorway, which had already swung open. "Good luck, Sire!" the wall bellowed as they passed. Jareth smiled and gave the wall a gentle pat as he rode by.

"You'll see," Sarah said brightly. "It'll be a piece of ca-"

"No!" Jareth yelled, bringing his hand up and sighing with relief when her mouth snapped shut. "Don't ever say that in this labyrinth again!" he barked. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, in a completely different part of the labyrinth, Rivan was growing more frustrated by the second. He had been going in a straight line for the past fifteen minutes, and he couldn't find any turns or openings along the way. He stopped to catch his breath, and looked around for a clue.

"Ello!" A tiny voice called out. Rivan looked around until he spotted a tiny worm inching across a nearby leaf.

"You there!" Rivan ordered. "Tell me how to find the nearest secret pathway this instant!"

"Well, alrigh' then... but first would yeh like a cup of tea?" The little worm offered.

"Tea? I don't have time for that! Show me the way right now!" Rivan snapped rudely.

The worm narrowed his eyes at him. "Fine! Fine! There's one just across from there." He nodded towards the wall opposite of them. Without so much as a "thank you", Rivan hurried over to the hidden opening and quickly disappeared behind the wall. The worm let out a cunning little chuckle. "I showed yeh the nearest way... never said it was the righ' way!" he whispered to himself as he crawled back into his little house. A few moments passed, and a loud roar echoed from behind the wall, followed by Rivan's terrified yell.

I have another pre-written chapter that I'll upload in a day or so. For now I think I'll just tease you a bit... Bwahahaha


	5. Chapter 4 A Lesson Learned

**Instead of boring you with a long-winded excuse for my absence this time, just read my livejournal. That'll save those who don't care some time. lol

* * *

**

**CHAPTER 4: A LESSON LEARNED**

Together the group ventured further into the labyrinth. Sarah and Jareth peered over the tops of the walls and hedges as they balanced themselves on Ludo's broad shoulders. Hoggle trailed behind, trying to recall any secret passageways that could help them reach the castle more quickly. Sir Didymus stayed ahead of everyone, bravely venturing around every corner first before calling out to the others that it was safe to continue. Strangely enough, the labyrinth had been very easy so far. So easy, in fact, that it worried them. No one dared voice their concerns, though, fearing that any mention of it might jinx their progress.

Suddenly, Sir Didymus stopped and held up a paw to alert everyone else to do the same. He bared his teeth and growled menacingly. Everyone froze. "Something smells... wrong..." Sir Didymus said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. He slowly crept forward and peered around a nearby corner. He drew his head back and looked back at Sarah. "It's worse than I thought."

Sarah hopped down from her perch and quietly crept closer to see for herself. She peered around the corner, preparing herself for anything she might see.

A large pond filled most of the clearing behind the wall, and it was teeming with the strangest creatures she had ever seen. They had the tail of a fish, but from the waist up they had a shape similar to that of a feline. Their pointed ears forked at the tips, and what appeared to be whiskers sprouted from the tips as well as from their cheeks. They had gray, slippery skin that reminded Sarah of a seal's pelt. Her breath caught when one of the creatures swam to the edge of the pond and paused to stare at her curiously with large, pitch-black eyes.

Sarah felt someone standing behind her, and turned to find Jareth watching the creature as well. "Don't move." Jareth warned her.

"But why? What are they?" she asked.

"They're catfish, Sarah." Jareth answered blankly as he continued to watch, tensing when the animal climbed out of the water and drug itself closer to where they were all standing.

Sarah burst out laughing. "Catfish? Why didn't I think of that?" she said. The catfish tipped its head and let out a tiny squeak. "Aww!" She squealed. "You are so cute! Why should I be afraid of you?" She cooed as she emerged from behind the wall and walked closer. She paused, squatting down to get a closer look.

"Sarah, don't!" Jareth warned, but it was too late.

The baby catfish let out an ear-shattering wail and lurched forward, opening its mouth wide to expose two rows of razor-sharp teeth. Sarah screamed and jumped back. She felt strong hands close around her arms and the next thing she knew, Jareth was standing between her and the catfish. It continued to crawl towards the both of them, snapping its teeth like a hungry alligator.

Sir Didymus charged forward and began stabbing at the animal repeatedly with his staff. It squealed at him in protest and quickly retreated back to the water's edge. With one final squeak, it leapt back into the water, disappearing under the murky surface.

Jareth whirled on Sarah, who stood frozen in place. "What in the hell were you thinking? I told you not to move!"

"I... I'm sorry... it just seemed so harmless!" She replied, her voice shaky.

"This is what happens when you don't listen! Nothing is as it seems in this place. You'll do well to remember that!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"You're lucky you can say anything! You could have lost your head just now!"

Hoggle waddled forward and tugged urgently on Jareth's cloak. "Um... Sire?"

Jareth ignored him. "Really Sarah, I expected you to have more sense than to do something so stupid!"

"Sire?"

"Okay, Jareth! I got it!" Sarah snapped. "What do you want me to do about it now though? It's over so will you please just drop it?"

"Sire?!" Hoggle tugged the cloak harder, but he was still ignored.

"I might as well! You aren't listening to me anyway. You're going to do whatever it is you want to do. You have got to be the most stubborn girl I have ever crossed paths with in my entire life!" Jareth sputtered angrily.

"Well it's a good thing I am stubborn, isn't it? Otherwise you'd still be sulking in your little hiding place right now trying to rot your own liver with booze!"

"I can see now that the option might have been the safer choice if you're going to treat every deathtrap in this labyrinth like a petting zoo!"

"SIRE!!" Hoggle screamed, interrupting the both of them.

"WHAT IS IT, HOGGLE?" Jareth and Sarah both screamed in unison.

Hoggle said nothing, choosing instead to merely point a finger in the direction of the water, and gulped.

That's when they finally saw it: a large serpent-like creature with cat-like eyes and long, thin arms that ended in a series of sharp, knifelike claws. It's tiny ears flattened back against its oversized skull, and its teeth bared angrily. This was obviously the mama cat, and it was, without a doubt, _not_ happy. It took an intimidating stance, curling into a tight coil in preparation to strike.

"Jareth..." Sarah whispered, her voice trembling. "What do we do?"

"Well," Jareth answered, "I vote that we run."

"I second that!" Hoggle squeaked.

Those votes were enough for everyone. A half-second later they were all running as fast as their feet would carry them. A loud howl rang out behind them, and Sarah looked over her shoulder to find that the serpent hadn't moved. Her relief was short-lived, however, when the ground beneath them began to tremble. The water around the serpent began to churn and bubble, then suddenly it sprang forth as if someone had opened up a large dam. She screamed as the churning aquatic mass gushed towards them.

"You guys! I think we're going swimming!" She cried out to her friends in warning. Jareth grabbed Hoggle with one hand while Ludo scooped up Sir Didymus and Ambrosius. Sarah reached out to clasp the nearest hand she could reach - Jareth's. Just before the water caught up to them, they all sucked in one final breath of air.

Sarah somehow managed to keep her grip on Jareth's hand when the wall of water hit them, but the continuous force of the current proved to be much too strong for Sarah. She felt her hold on Jareth begin to slip. His grip tightened while she struggled to hold on, but the strong pull of the water finally won out. She panicked as she felt her lungs begin to burn with urgency. _Up_, her instincts screamed at her. _Get ahold of yourself and swim for it! _

Sarah used every last ounce of energy she had to kick herself to the surface of the water. Finally her head broke through and she sucked in a large gulp of air. She allowed herself only a second to breathe before she began to scream. "Hoggle! Jareth!" she cried out as she looked around her for any sign of her friends. "Ludo! Didymus! Somebody, please!"

"Milady! Over here!" Called out a voice. A familiar ball of fur floated by, coughing and sputtering.

"Sir Didymus! Thank God... have you seen the others?" Sarah asked, praying silently that he would say yes.

Just then, Ludo and Ambrosius emerged from the angry waves. Ambrosius had somehow managed to clamp his two front paws around Ludo's neck and was trembling like a baby rabbit. "Where Hoggle? Where King?" Ludo asked when he noticed their absence.

"Good question..." Sarah answered as she scanned the water for signs of the two. Her hopes began to sink and all relief she had previously felt was instantly shadowed by an overwhelming sense of dread. "No..." She choked, struggling against the tears as they began to brim.

Suddenly, a long, serpentine tail broke the surface of the water and came back down with a loud splash. Sir Didymus yapped and drew back his staff, while Ambrosius shuddered and gripped Ludo's neck tighter. Sarah opened her mouth to scream, but was cut off when she heard a familiar voice calling for help. She gasped in both relief and horror when she saw him. There, clutching tightly to the tip of the sea serpent's tail, was Hoggle.

"Sarah! Watch out!" Hoggle cried before the tail disappeared under the water, dragging him down with it. Sarah's eyes widened in terror when the head rose from the depths of the water and loomed over her. It opened its mouth and drew its head back to strike. Sarah covered her eyes and waited...

... hahahahaha... enjoy the suspense! evil cackle


	6. Chapter 4pt5 A Lesson Learned

Well, here I am again after yet another long absence! I'm sorry guys. Honestly, I was backed into a corner with this story for the longest time.

An idea finally hit me today, but to run with it I have to do something that some of you aren't gonna like! Please don't hate me! And remember, not everything is what you seem in this place, right?

**CHAPTER 4 (CONTINUED)**

She waited for death, every breath ragged and rushed as it could be the last.

Inhale.

_What would happen now, to the Labyrinth, to her family, to Toby... to Jareth...?_

Exhale.

_All the things I never did... I had my whole life ahead of me. Now it's over..._

Inhale.

Exhale. She began to see pictures in her mind. First it was Toby's face.

Inhale.

Toby's smile. Exhale.

Her mother and father. Inhale.

Jareth. Exhale.

Jareth. Inhale.

Jareth...

"Jareth!" she suddenly heard a voice cry. She opened her eyes to find everyone, including the serpant, staring at a familiar shape running alongside the waters edge. It was him! He made it!

"Don't move!" Jareth yelled to them as he brandished his sword and lept into the air. He landed on the monster's head and, with a swift jab, delivered a fatal blow. Blood spurted from the wound in the creature's neck as it attempted to guzzle several final breaths, then it finally fell limp, its coiled corpse still afloat on top of the rushing water.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The battle was over. Jareth motioned for everyone to climb aboard, and everyone wordlessly complied. Sarah sighed as she dragged herself on top of the fallen serpent's massive tail and collapsed. She sucked in breath after breath of air, thanking her lucky stars that she was still alive. Everyone else followed suit, too tired to speak a word. They floated along for what felt like hours, until Ludo suddenly broke the silence with a terrified howl.

Everyone lifted their heads to stare at the sight before them. Ahead of them the water's path disappeared... straight down.

"We're gonna die!" Hoggle screamed as he desperately clamped both of his arms around the serpent's corpse.

Fear gripped Sarah like an iron fist, and she stared wildly around the scene. There had to be something... there's always something! Her eyes traveled up the walls that surrounded both sides of them, and she saw it: a single branch jutting over the edge of the wall... right before the drop.

"Guys! Over here!" Sarah screamed for their attention, then pointed when all heads had turned her way. They were drifting closer now. If they were going to make their move, they would have to do it soon.

"How do we reach it?" Sir Didymus cried over the sounds of the crashing water. Before anyone could answer, the serpent shifted underneath them, almost sending them all into the water. They looked back to find Ludo lifting the tail with little effort. With one heave, the slung the tail upward. Just before the head of the giant snake went over the waterfall, the tail wrapped around the branch perfectly.

The feeling of the fall felt just like a nightmare. Screams were lost in the roar of the water as they clung to the trunk of the serpent. Sarah's hands kept slipping down the slick scales, so she dug her fingernails in in an attempt to stay latched on. Hesitantly, she forced herself to look down.

The sight of rocks, a black ocean, anything else would have been bad enough. But what met Sarah's eyes could not be described in words, for _nothing_cannot be described. The sight that awaited her ceased to exist, so she could not see it. She only experienced an excruciating sense of blindness, for her human eyes could not take in the endless pit of nothing that stretched underneath her indefinitely. She screamed louder when she caught sight of her friends directly below her. Jareth was reaching his arm out towards Hoggle and Didymus, who had caught Ludo during their fall. Ludo hung onto the tail's very tip with one hand, and was still cradling Ambrosius with the other.

The events that came next felt like a thousand knives stabbing her at once. She watched helplessly as it happened. Almost in slow motion, she saw Ludo's massive paw slip. The seconds ticked by like minutes as they fell... all of them. Jareth and Sarah stared with their eyes wide, and their mouths open in screams that fell upon nothing.

They were gone. Disappeared out of visible existence.

For several minutes, neither of them moved. Jareth finally turned and climbed up to Sarah, who continued to stare downward as if the strange pit would spit them back out. Her shaky arms remained still around the snake. She wasn't going anywhere.

"Sarah! You have to climb!" Jareth yelled up to her.

Still nothing. He hoisted himself up until he was at eye level with her. He kept his grip on the serpent's trunk, and reached to wrap his free arm around her.

"Sarah." He dipped his head down to lock her eyes with his. "We have to keep going. They would want us to."

Wordlessly, thoughtlessly, she did as he asked. Together they climbed up to the ledge that held their lifeline. After they pulled themselves up onto the wall, a sickening snap was heard, and they turned to see the creature and the branch swallowed by the nothing.

That was the moment Sarah's world fell apart.


	7. Chapter 5 Remembering

Author's note: Okay, I've got the new direction figured out. I even managed to bring another familiar character in on the action!

I'm so excited about the way all this is going. Keep reading and commenting, guys. It feeds the fire even more. Hehe

**CHAPTER 5: REMEMBERING**

Jareth's hold on Sarah remained strong, yet comforting as they stood at the edge of the cliff. They looked helplessly at the nonexistance that had claimed their companions. A few minutes passed, and Sarah's tears finally broke the surface.

Her cold, drenched form shuddered and jerked as sobs tore out of her in uneven bursts. Her voice accompanied them through wordless whimpers and miserable cries that ripped at the edges of Jareth's heart.

"Shh..." Jareth soothed her, though angry tears of his own spilled down his cheeks onto her hair.

"Where... are... they?" Sarah hiccuped through her hysterics as her eyes tore from his shoulder to stare at his face. Her wild eyes swam with questions and urgency.

"I don't know..." Jareth answered helplessly. He inhaled deeply and turned away from her questioning gaze to stare at the wall of nothing that continued to taunt him.

_Please, no_... he thought to himself, but he knew all too well what would happen before much more time had passed. He turned back to Sarah when he felt her face press once again against his shoulder, her cries muffled against the fabric of his cloak. He should tell her... but he couldn't bring himself to break her heart that way.

"Sarah, we should rest now. We've been through enough for a while." He murmered silently. He forced a smile when Sarah nodded against his shoulder. They turned in unison and walked away from the cliff's edge.

Jareth and Sarah had managed to find a clearing in the woods before darkness had fallen. The inviting softness of the grass and moss won out, and Sarah collapsed into a sound sleep. Jareth laid awake and stared around him as the night took him from the glorious colors of the sunset to colors of dark blue and violet cast over the variety of trees that twisted and looped protectively around the two of them.

After a number of hours passed, Jareth's worried mind was still filled with the events that the afternoon had brought them. He gave up on sleep and sat up, training his eyes on Sarah as she slept. She tossed and turned as unintelligable murmers passed across her lips. Jareth sighed and waited, his worry growing by the second.

The end of the world... he'd seen the end of the world.

Or he hadn't seen it, to put it technically.

He knew all too well what the pit was and wasn't. It was where all existance for him and his kingdom ended. He also knew what happened when someone disappeared into it.

They were forgotten.

Jareth searched deep into his mind for a mental picture of his four friends. Just one image to center in his brain might keep them alive long enough to tell Sarah their story over and over until they existed again. However, the picture in his mind was beginning to blur. The details of their faces were already forgotten, and their names were beyond his reach.

He only hoped that Sarah's love would be strong enough to keep some essence of them alive.

"Please remember." Jareth mouthed in her direction, over and over. "Please, please, remember."

He jumped when Sarah sat up suddenly, her eyes wide. He flew to her side as she blinked several times, then looked at him anxiously. Her face softened then, and she offered a tiny smile.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" Jareth asked her, his concern building.

"Nothing... it was just a bad dream." Sarah answered, her voice slightly blank.

Jareth swallowed the lump forming in this throat. "Was it about what happened earlier?" he asked.

"I... I think so." Sarah nodded. Then she smiled again. "But then I remembered you rescuing me."

Jareth's eyes widened at her calm expression. "Sarah... what else do you remember? What about the others?"

Sarah blinked twice, then opened her mouth hesitantly.

"... What others?"

* * *

"There's been no sign of Sarah yet. They've searched for hours." Karen spoke quietly over the phone to yet another family member who called to find out news of Sarah's disappearance.

Karen listened, then interrupted the long string of hysterics on the other end of the line. "No, they didn't find anyone! The students who ran kept saying something about a strong wind, like a hurricane. She's probably just hiding out somewhere... stretching this out for dramatic effect."

Another pause. "No! I'm not saying that I'm not concerned! I just know her better than you think!" Karen snapped defensively in a high octave.

One last pause. "Look, I'll call you when I find out anything. Right now we should keep the phones clear in case the police call!"

Karen slammed the phone onto the receiver and fell onto the couch, rubbing her temples with the pads of her fingers. _This isn't funny anymore Sarah. _She thought frantically. _Where are you?_

It was six hours ago when the police had arrived at their door with news of Sarah's disappearance. The scene was so bizarre: the gym doors slung open, everything overturned, students scared out of their wits, and a strange wind in a calm, clear night of perfect weather.

Sarah's father was out looking for her, and Karen had stayed behind with Toby. Karen had spent the first few hours in denial that anything was wrong, but her worry grew by the hour until she was pacing the floor and looking anxiously out the window for her, praying with each glance that she would see her running towards the porch.

_I can't sit here like this. _she decided suddenly, and was back to wondering from room to room. She stole two quick minutes to climb the stairs and peek in at Toby, who lay asleep in his bed. Karen walked over to him and smoothed his fine, blond curls away from his eyes. Her eyes then took in the paper and crayons sprawled out over the comforter. He'd been awake, coloring.

Karen gathered the empty pages and crayons, set them in a neat pile on his dresser, then looked at the drawings Toby had made. Most of the drawings were of his sister: a stick-figure girl with dark brown hair and a dress that stretched over the entire page. Karen smiled tightly as she looked at these, wondering how she would explain to Toby why his big sister hadn't come home.

Then she saw the last picture, and her brow crumpled with confusion. It was a picture of Sarah, standing with five strange characters. The first looked like a huge, brown bear with horns. The second was a strange animal riding on the back of the third character; a dog that looked a lot like their sheepdog, Merlin. The fourth was a little man with a big nose and big hands. The last stood as tall as Sarah, with wild, yellow hair and a long, black cape.

_What on earth? _Karen wondered as she stared at the picture, trying to place where she might have seen these characters before. Suddenly she heard a sound downstairs. She dropped the pictures and silently, but quickly, raced down the stairs, hoping that Sarah had finally come home.

* * *

Hoggle, Didymus, Ambrosius and Ludo huddled together, confused and scared out of their wits. The were surrounded by darkness, but flashes of color, light, and familiar faces sometimes danced across their vision.

"Where are we? Where's Sarah?" Hoggle demanded as he tried to remember what happened between the fall and this strange place. It seemed like only seconds ago, but the time was so hard to pinpoint, he feared that it could easily have been days, weeks, or years.

"We have to get back to Our Highness and Lady Sarah!" Didymus cried, venturing out of the huddle and further into the blackness. Ambrosius carried Didymus out several hundred yards before giving up and galloping back to the others.

"It's useless, Didymus." Hoggle shook his head. "It just goes on and on!"

"Hoggle? Ludo? Dih-mus?" A small voice suddenly interrupted them, and they turned to stare with relief at the small child that was toddling toward them.

"Toby!" Ludo roared happily.

Toby ran to them and stared, wide-eyed at the group he so vividly remembered. "You hepped me and Sawa!" Toby exclaimed, his face breaking out into a wide grin.

Hoggle nodded. "Of course, Toby. We're your friends."

Toby nodded. "You hepped me. You got me home."

Hoggle looked at the others, who obviously had the same question on their minds. Hoggle put all of his hope on his next question.

"Toby, we were wondering if you could help us go home now."

Toby nodded, then closed his eyes tightly in thought.

When he opened them, he found himself in his bedroom. He looked around, panicked. "Hoggle? Dih-muss? Ludo?"

"Right here, kid." a voice came from the foot of Toby's bed. "You did great. We owe you one." Hoggle smiled.

Toby's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the creatures from his dream, alive and talking to him right there in his bedroom! "You're real?" he whispered in awe.

"Yes. And now we have to go help your sister." Didymus replied.

"Sawa! I wanna go too!" Toby flung the covers back and ran over to them.

"Oh no, no no no buddy. You have to stay here!" Hoggle shook his head.

Toby stuck his lip out in a pout. "I wanna hep Sawa!" he whined.

"Sorry. It's not that we don't like you, kid. It's just too dangerous!"

Hoggle stepped back and motioned for the others to hold hands. He gripped Ludo's paw and dug into his pouch of fairy dust. He gulped in a lungful of air, and threw the fine powder over him and his group.

At the last second, a tiny hand grabbed a hold of his coat. "I wanna go to the castle!" Toby's tantrum echoed around them all.

When the swirl cleared, they all looked around them in shock. The five of them were standing smack dab in the middle of Jareth's throne room.


	8. Chapter 6 The Morning After

**Author's Note:**

Okay, leading up to the scene I've been itching to write! Some serious Jareth/Sarah romance is promised to show itself before too much longer... be patient!

And, my my my, the TYPOS! This story needs a serious clean-up. I've done several spell-checks and am just about to upload the final drafts of the other parts of this story. I can do no less than perfection, so I'm sure it won't be the FINAL final draft. Haha!

I'm also assigning songs to the chapters. Why? Because I say so. Deal with it. :-P The song for this chapter is "Resolution" by Jacks Mannequin. (It was playing in the background the entire time I wrote this chapter. OO)

- Vampirateloyal

* * *

**6. THE MORNING AFTER**

Rivan had been through hell. Dead end after dead end presented itself to him, despite his magical advantage. He had seen more than anyone's fair share of monsters, guards and booby-traps, and he bore more scars than Brier Bear in a briar patch. It was clear whom this labyrinth and its inhabitants preferred for their ruler.

Now, standing on a hilltop after his most recent struggle with a pack of rabid rabbits, he glared at the faraway silhouette of Jareth's castle with a mixture of desire and rage. The towers looked so soft and safe in the light of the setting sun and seemed to mock Rivan as the darkness and cold closed in around him.

He couldn't help himself any longer. "You will be mine! It will not be long now!" He shouted as loudly as his lungs allowed him.

Quiet sniggers could be heard in the nearby bushes, which made him seethe even more.

* * *

A strange, faraway yell made Ludo's ears perk up and look out the gigantic open window of Jareth's throne room. He quickly scanned the horizon and sniffed with indifference before turning back to his comrades, who were sitting together in a daze.

Hoggle, with his eyes fixed in a shocked expression, shook his head mechanically. "I don't believe it… I just don't believe it."

They all stared as Toby ran around the castle, shrieking in delight at every detail of his surroundings. He had been an unstoppable blur since they had arrived, and none of the rest could bring it upon themselves to stop him. They watched with warm hearts as Toby explored, his eyes swimming with the same curiosity Sarah had during her first visit to the labyrinth.

"It's easy to see why Jareth fought so hard for him." Sir Didymus commented as he smiled crookedly.

Hoggle snapped out of his daze long enough to look at Sir Didymus with amusement. "That's not all he was fighting for, you know," he said with a chuckle. "In fact, I think he's still fighting for her."

Sir Didymus waved Hoggle off with his paw. "Of course! Any subject worth his or her salt could see that! Anyway, what I'm wondering now is why you didn't use Toby to get us here earlier!"

Hoggle blinked several times. "I… I didn't _know_."

"Toby." Ludo called out softly in his rumbling voice to the little boy.

Toby's head snapped away from the row of gargoyles he had found carved into the far side of the western wall, and bounded towards Ludo. "Come play wif me, Ludo!" Toby begged as he tugged on the fur on Ludo's arm.

"Just a minute, kiddo." Hoggle answered for Ludo, then motioned for Toby to sit beside him. When Toby did as he asked, Hoggle continued. "Now, I was wondering if you could tell me how you got us here."

"The Goblin King said I could come here if I wished it." Toby answered with a wide grin.

"The Goblin King?" Hoggle repeated as it suddenly dawned on him that Jareth would have given the boy an easy way to get back to the castle, especially if it meant that Sarah would follow.

Toby's small eyebrows smushed together in confusion as he suddenly looked around, and he asked the question that everyone else had on their minds, "Where is he? And where's Sawa?"

* * *

"Good morning, Jareth."

Sarah sat cross-legged by a small fire as she spooned portions of omelet onto two flat pieces of stone. She giggled as Jareth stirred, sniffed the air, then sat up in sudden surprise.

"Sarah!" Jareth gasped in alarm, and then his expression went blank.

"What? Surprised I can cook?" Sarah joked, then turned back to cutting up a handful of mushrooms.

Jareth continued to stare blankly as his mind swam with questions. What had happened last night? Why did it feel like he was forgetting something important? Is something... missing? Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by Sarah's worried voice.

"Hey! You okay? What's wrong?" Sarah asked as she shook him by the shoulders.

Jareth snapped back to reality, then forced a smile. "Um… nothing, I guess."

Sarah raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and helped Jareth to his feet. She finished fixing their plates, and they begin wolfing down breakfast.

"Wow." Jareth managed to grunt between mouthfuls. "You're awfully resourceful, aren't you?"

"I can survive." Sarah responded as a proud smile played on the corners of her lips.

Jareth paused for a minute, then hesitantly spoke. "Do you remember anything from yesterday?"

Sarah gulped down the last bite of her breakfast, then answered. "Well, I went to my prom... which you destroyed." Sarah stopped to fix Jareth with a teasing glare, then continued, "I came here, got you off of your lazy… uh, then we started towards the castle, almost drowned, was saved by you, and then came here."

Jareth nodded, then looked away, slightly ashamed at the trouble he had caused. "I made a mess of everything, I'm afraid."

Sarah sighed. "At least it can't get worse, right?"

Suddenly, a familiar chuckling made Sarah freeze like a deer in headlights. Out of nowhere, dozens of small flame-like creatures leaped into view and surrounded the two of them. Sarah jumped to her feet, grabbed two flaming branches from the fire, and tossed one at Jareth. They huddled together and gripped their weapons steadily, though they both knew that fire would be no help in this battle.

Jareth glared at Sarah, who gaped in horror at the sea of cackling fiery faces. "Could you, just one time," He growled slowly, pronouncing each syllable, "keep sentences like that to _yourself_??"


	9. Chapter 7 An Invite You Can't Refuse

**Author's Note: **So here I am again, delivering a very late update. Eh, at least I had time to cook up some new ideas, including a name for our unnamed "nothing" of a character... hehehe! Now that I have two out of four classes done for the semester, I'll have no choice but to channel all of my writing here. I know, it's heartbreaking, isn't it?

No clue what songs would go well with this chapter. If you have any to suggest, please do!

- Vampirateloyal

* * *

**7. AN INVITE YOU CAN'T REFUSE**

"Sarah? Well bud… we're trying to find that out ourselves." Hoggle tried to explain carefully to the wide-eyed toddler.

"She needs our help?" Toby asked in a loud whisper, his large eyes growing rounder as he spoke.

"Exactly. We want to help her and Jareth if we can." Hoggle sighed and straightened up, stretching his limbs as far out as they would go. His joints gave a slight crack, then Hoggle sighed with relief. He turned to Ludo and Didymus, who sat waiting on further instruction. "We need to get out of here, now."

Didymus hopped down from his saddle. "Go? But we're where we wanted to be all along! Why should we leave?"

"It's useless wasting our time here without Sarah and the king!" Hoggle replied. "What are we going to do if Rivan arrives, poke him to death with that little spear of yours?"

Didymus scoffed, slashing his "little spear" through the air in a criss-cross motion. "Are you questioning my ability to defend my kingdom, Sir Hoggle?"

"Not at all." Hoggle answered calmly, with a slight edge of irritation to his voice, "But our defenses will be shot with the wave of his hand. With Jareth gone from the throne, Rivan is the most powerful being in this realm now."

"Not really." Didymus argued. "Whatever tore us away from Sarah and Jareth earlier is no pushover! Which is why we should stay here, where it is safe."

"I see your point, but what makes you so sure that we're safe from… whatever that thing was, just because we're inside this castle? It could very well come along and swallow the castle with us in it!"

"I rather doubt that! The End does not _move_, you know." Came a disembodied voice from behind Hoggle that made everyone jump.

"What the… who's there?!?!" Hoggle demanded in an attempt to be brave, though his entire body was trembling in obvious fear.

Toby stared at the globe-sized crystal that was mounted on the wall opposite Jareth's throne and raised a pointer finger in its direction. Everyone else stared as a red smoke began to move inside the sphere. The sudden light poured itself over the stone floor towards them and then grew so bright that everyone had to cover their eyes for a moment.

"Ah, so Jareth hasn't returned yet, I see." The voice came again, this time accompanied with a face. The bright white head that now stood out against the blood-red smoke looked very much like a comedy mask, complete with hollow eyes and a slight smile. The figure bobbled slightly as it continued to speak. "Well, I suppose you will have to do, since the king is obviously still in the middle of a nervous breakdown."

"Who are you supposed to be?" Hoggle stammered uneasily.

"It's rather typical that Jareth hasn't told you about me. Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Rorrim… I've been the king's advisor since his coronation."

"Why wouldn't I know about you?" Hoggle pressed. "Jareth tells me everything!"

Rorrim's smile grew slightly larger. "Oh, really! I hate to break it to you, but Jareth has a number of skeletons in his closet, none of which he's confided to anyone besides me, I can assure you of that. I know more about the king than any of you put together. And he isn't all I know about…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, perhaps 'advisor' was the incorrect term to describe me. I suppose I'm more correctly termed as an 'oracle'. This strange force that you speak of, for instance… I know it well. And I can assure you, it will not come here."

This got everyone's attention. The group huddled closer around the crystal. Rorrim took this as a sign to continue.

"The thing that you escaped – rather miraculously, I might add – is beyond the boundaries of our existence. No one can step outside of it without disappearing from this world, because no one can exist after The End."

"I got them back though!" Toby spoke suddenly. "They were in my dream!"

Rorrim nodded – or more technically, bobbed - at Toby, then continued. "Toby's mind is one of the two things that created this world and everything in it. You were able to exist again in his mind because it is in a place beyond this kingdom where The End cannot touch you. Then he wished you here again. Thanks to Toby, you're a part of The Story once more."

"The Story? That's all we are? Just a story with an end?" Hoggle gasped.

Rorrim nodded. "You can thank our dear Sarah for that. This world existed in her mind before one of her characters managed to become real enough to document everything permanently. The book was delivered to her in secret; she simply thought someone had left it in the park that day."

"Who did leave it then?"

"Why, I did, of course." Rorrim answered proudly. "Because of that book, Sarah's memories never died. Instead of fading like most fantasy worlds, this one became stronger… strong enough to become real, grow and develop into the likes of which even Sarah isn't aware."

Didymus spoke suddenly. "But if Miss Sarah is another creator, like you say, why didn't she have the power to save us as well?"

"Sarah is in our realm now, which means she's a part of The Story. Because of this, I'm afraid her memories of you have also vanished… you don't exist to anyone in this world now until you enter it again. Your presence alone will be enough to restore every fragment of your existence to them both."

"Then that settles it! We have to go find them!" Hoggle exclaimed. "Nice meeting ya, Ronin, but we've got a kingdom to save."

The smoke began to glow faintly again. "It's Rorrim!" the face snapped. "And I'm afraid that I can't let you leave."

* * *

Sarah and Jareth stood perfectly still as one fiery broke away from the group that surrounded them and stepped nearer for a better look. "Well well well! Look who we've found snoopin' through our forest again!" the little creature teased as he tugged Sarah forward by her arm.

"Let go of me you little weasel!" Sarah screeched.

"Still as mean as ever! Come on, you gotta remember me! Bonfire night? Dancing? Throwing my head into a ROSE BUSH!"

Another fiery leapt forward and grabbed the other fiery by the shoulder. "Easy, Flambé, easy! I think we're in the presence of royalty here!"

The fieries all turned their eyes in the direction of Jareth, then backed away several paces and bowed in unison. "My king, our most sincere apologies. We did not know that this lady was in the company of such importance."

"Importance? I don't care if SHE'S the queen, Scorch! Her head is still mine!" Flambé growled.

"Now now, you know the policy isn't a head for a head, pal. We ditched that rule once we realized how hard it would be to keep count!"

Sarah cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but my head does NOT come off. At least, it shouldn't. Not unless you plan on killing me!"

"See pal?" Scorch piped up, patting his friend on the shoulder, "I knew there was a logicalized explanation for everything! Hows about this, king and Miss…"

"Sarah." Sarah filled in.

"Miss Sarah. Hows about we forget this whole mess and invite you to our little get-together this evening!"

_Oh, Lord no!_ Sarah thought to herself as she tried to scramble together an excuse. "Gee, that sounds very nice, but uh… we just can't tear ourselves away from our duties at the moment! Kingdom in a state of panic and all that, you know?" Sarah snapped her head in Jareth's direction. "Uh, little help here!" she ground the words out through her clenched teeth.

But Jareth only smirked at her obvious state of panic. "Actually Sarah, this might be a wonderful idea! After all, the fieries know their way around this forest. Perhaps they could help us to get out of here."

"Absotively Posilutely, your Graciousness!" cut in yet another fiery, followed by a sea of murmured agreement. "We can get you wherever it is you need to go! Just follow us!"

"If they decide to go head-hunting tonight, I'm tossing them _yours_." Sarah growled at Jareth as the band of fieries half-dragged them deeper into the heart of the forest.

* * *

Rivan continued to push through the thick brush, confident that he was less than a hundred yards away from the castle at this point. He confidently blasted his way through the last of the forest growth, only to find himself at another dead end. He roared angrily and spun on his heels. The damned labyrinth had tricked him again!

"I'll get to that castle if I have to blast this entire realm into ash to do it!" he spoke quietly, yet deliberately. More sniggering was heard amongst the clumps of nearby bushes. Rivan roared again and sent a fireball hurling at the plants, sending the inhabitants scurrying in all directions. He then began to stomp further into the trees, in no particular direction.

After several minutes of aimless wandering, Rivan finally burst through the forest once again. What met his eyes this time, however, was far from just a dead end. No, this sight caused him to turn his face away and almost wish for yet another solid wall of forest.

"I don't believe it... could this possibly be it?" Rivan wondered aloud as he braved another glance into the heart of The End.


	10. Chapter 8 Fiery Moon

**Note from the author:**

Hey everyone,

This is a very special day for me. For the first time in a very, very long time, I found a moment to escape into the magic of the Labyrinth. I've missed this story so much, but due to an insane schedule I've been unable to find the time or discipline to write anything other than term papers. Tonight my muse was gracious enough to keep going after the homework was finished, so I present to you a quick little chapter to kick things off once again.

I can't promise you my updates won't continue to be sporadic, but I have an almost desperate need to finish this story right now. I think it may be the key to keeping my sanity during this final semester.

**- Vampirateloyal**

**8. FIERY MOON**

* * *

Sarah stared at herself in the mirror with disbelief. One minute she's in the forest with Jareth, sharing what she was beginning to think was a pleasant moment, and in the next she was in the midst of the very tribe of creatures that not too long ago plagued her nightmares. She could still feel groups of fieries clawing at her face and hair, trying to rip her skull from her neck. She fought back a shudder.

"Are you alright, miss?" asked one of the firettes, who stood next to her in front of a huge full-length mirror. Sarah shook her head and looked back and forth between her reflection and the firette's.

Drastically unlike their male counterparts, firettes appeared much more human and put together. Each firette that Sarah had seen so far was indescribably beautiful, with flaming red hair that reached far past their waists in perfect ringlets. They each wore some form of tight, skimpy clothing that barely covered what was necessary.

Sarah looked back at herself and heaved a sad sigh. Her outfit wasn't exactly a beauteous sight to behold anymore. Her prom dress lay loosely against her body in ragged rips. Her hair frizzed and curled in every wrong direction, and she didn't even allow herself to critique her makeup. She was sure to look like a total dog standing next to these sirens.

One of the firettes parted the silk drapes that hid them from the view of the party that had already begun. "The boys are waiting!" she chirped in a sing-song voice. "And my my, is there a tasty dish staring this way!"

Sarah stepped behind the firette and peered over her shoulder. Sure enough, there stood Jareth, craning his neck in a seemingly anxious manner in their direction.

Sarah looked back down at herself again. What a nightmare.

"What's the worry hon? Is he someone you know?" the firette asked Sarah, gently pulling her chin upwards to meet her eyes. "Ah, I see the problem! He's your suitor!"

Sarah stared.

The other firette darted across the tent and thrust her hands into a trunk full of exotic-looking silks and withdrew a beautiful, red dress. "This should fix you up nicely." She winked, advancing towards Sarah with the garment held at the ready. Sarah braced herself as the firettes swooped down on her like three-year olds on a Barbie doll.

Pandemonium broke loose as firettes floated gracefully from their hiding place, interspersing with the male fieries who received them with much enthusiasm. The dancing began immediately, and almost no one was without a partner. Almost everyone.

Jareth searched the crowd for a familiar face, grimacing at each wink and air kiss the fieries threw his way. Many found their charms irresistible, but Jareth had always been immune. But suddenly, he was hit with a sight he was not prepared for.

Sarah gingerly stepped towards him, almost in perfect rhythm to the drumbeats that had conveniently slowed for less energetic dancing. The fieries and firettes swirled around them almost as if in slow motion as Sarah and Jareth stepped closer to each other.

Sarah's crimson dress clung to her gently, showing off her curves and just enough skin to be tasteful yet alluring. Her hair curled halfway down her back, restrained lightly with a matching red scarf. Sarah had simply thought the dress beautiful. The fieries and Jareth knew better.

It was a traditional dress worn during matching ceremonies. Sarah was prepared to select her mate: her mate for life.

What was so special about this dress was the power that was infused in its very threads. When close to her perfect match, the dress begins to glow like a thousand tiny embers. Jareth knew this because he personally took charge of the infusion of these garments as one of his duties as king. Because of this connection, Jareth could control this power. If he had to, he could make the dress glow by himself.

He admitted to himself that it was a great temptation, but he couldn't for two reasons. The first reason was that he'd promised himself he would never manipulate their relationship again.

The second reason was that it was already glowing.

Sarah had finally met Jareth in the center of the dancers, who spaced themselves from the couple and giggled knowingly at the sight before them. Jareth wordlessly reached out his hand to touch Sarah's, and started slightly when their clasped hands began to glow as well. Together, with the magic of their union and the lure of the music, they let themselves fade into the moment.

They glided over the ground together in perfect synchronization, just like before. The only difference this time was the feeling. Before, in the ballroom, Sarah had felt this magnetic pull away from her; this time she felt it pulling towards him. They weren't ready then, but it was becoming quite clear that they were now.

Their eyes met as their feet automatically kept moving. He reached up with one hand to smooth her cheek with his fingertip, and laughed at the slight illumination that accompanied his gesture. She smiled too, with no further need of explanation as to what was happening. The fieries may have tricked her, but without her willpower it never would have worked.

And after years of petty denial, Sarah finally admitted to herself that she was hopelessly in love with the Goblin King.

* * *

Hoggle glared at Rorrim and braced himself, ready to attack. "You think you can stop us in your little snow globe? Try it. You won't get far."

Rorrim's red fog quickly faded into a slight pink shade. "No, you misunderstand. I can't let you forget about what's important."

Hoggle's face softened and he stared back towards the throne. "Right... the kingdom." He dragged himself back over to the window sill and plopped down with a heavy sigh.

The rest of the troupe followed him. "Don't worry Hoggle. I'm sure that His Majesty or Miss Sarah will be here any minute. Then everything will be okay."

* * *

Rivan continued to stare into the abyss that no eyes could fathom. This was a pointless action, but he felt compelled, almost hypnotized. Gradually he began to see a shape in the center of The End. The shape slowly formed itself into a face... an evil face.

"Do not lose faith now, Rivan. You are close." the face rasped. "A mere hundred yards from here and you will find them... powerless."


	11. Chapter 9 Wreckless Abandon

**Letter from the author:** Two in one week... now I'm starting to impress myself. Haha, this is for Valentine's day. A little Jareth/Sarah action in this one, nothing too racy. I just couldn't do it! Sorry!

**Music to read to:** Overfire - THC (if you're familiar with Buffy, it's the song that Veruca sings in her first appearance)

I have a question for all of you. If Sarah and Jareth had a song in the modern world, what would it be? I've been wanting to make a music video on youtube to support this story, but it's been difficult for me to find a perfect song for them. And no, I don't want to use tracks from the original movie. I want to put an edge to their story and try something different. If you have any ideas, please comment!

**- Vampirateloyal**

**9. WRECKLESS ABANDON**

* * *

Sarah and Jareth tore through the forests, Sarah's laugh piercing the quiet night. The party had finally picked up, and the fieries had resumed their morbid games of dismembering each other to music that was all too fast-paced for the young couple at this moment.

This all gave them perfect reason to sneak off alone. And alone they found themselves, in a perfect, circular clearing of bright, soft grass. The moon cast itself over the twisted trees and mossy carpets, blanketing everything in a comfortable shade of blue.

Sarah plopped down in the grass, still laughing from the high she was still experiencing from the dance. Jareth chuckled and slowly stepped in front of her, carefully poising himself on both knees so that he slightly towered over her.

"Sarah… I think it's time you snap out of it." He spoke softly.

Sarah cocked her eyebrow. "Snap out of what?" she said.

Jareth sighed. "The dress has made you lose inhibition. You didn't even know what it was for, did you?"

Sarah giggled again, the tinkling sound of her laughter fading mystically into a soft breeze that slightly ruffled her hair. She reached behind her and began to quickly undo the ties that held the dress in place. "Well Your Majesty… I suppose I'll just have to do away with the problem then, won't I?"

Jareth leapt to his feet and spun away from her, his face coloring. "Sarah!" He sputtered in disbelief, fighting every animal urge he had to throw her down against the ground and do what he'd thought about time and time again all those nights he watched her sleeping peacefully, sometimes speaking his name in mid-dream. He wanted that too much right now.

A rustling behind him caused him to turn mechanically, and wish he hadn't. She stood in all of her God-given glory, shameless and ready.

Unbelievably, even to himself, he found the willpower inside of him to remove his cloak and swing it around her, resting the rough fabric around her shoulders and buttoning the throat clasp at the front.

Sarah squirmed from underneath the censor, cursing feebly as he finished wrapping the cloak around her. "I see how it is then!" Sarah sighed, the lingering effects of the spell still clinging to her. "You chase me until I'm ready for you to catch me, then you turn into some kind of damn gentleman!"

Jareth threw his arms up and stomped across the clearing. "Unbelievable! No matter what I ever do for you, it's not enough is it?"

Then he felt a small hand close around his waist, twisting him to face her. Her eyes were no longer foggy or distant; they stared into his honestly. "You… you could've…"

Jareth nodded softly, his resolve further tested as her hand reached up to brush through his hair.

"Wow… Goblin King… my how you've changed."

"No… how you changed me." Came his reply.

The space between them was finally closed when Sarah threw herself into his arms and their lips met for the first time. Jareth remained gentle as long as he could, then pressed her against him more tightly as the moment became more and more intense. She moaned softly against his lips, and their tongues met as his hands caressed her face and neck, then roamed toward her hips. He reached and took hold of her legs, jerking her up so she could hook them around his waist.

He walked them back into the center of the clearing, and carefully lowered them both onto the soft grass. They were wild for each other now, out of control until Sarah finally broke the kiss, breathless.

"Jareth…" she finally spoke between gulps of air, her eyes closed to hide the frustration that her body was feeling at that moment.

"Yes my Sarah?" he whispered patiently as he brought his hands down to lace with hers.

"We've forgotten something."

* * *

Toby ran around the perimeter of the room, laughing wildly as Ludo raced behind him, tripping over himself every other step and shaking the room slightly with each fall. "Boom!" Toby would yell each time, sending him into another fit of hysterics.

Sir Didymus and Hoggle stood by Rorrim's pedestal, and all three of them looked on with exhaustion from simply watching them.

"Did you know Ludo was this good with children?" Hoggle asked Didymus, who shrugged in reply.

"Well, I suppose any child would like something that fluffy. Our dear Ludo does look a bit like an overgrown bear."

Hoggle nodded and laughed. "Seriously, I wonder where Sarah's imagination was when Ludo was created!"

"Why, in a book of course!" Rorrim chortled.

Didymus shook his head. "And where was she with you?" he asked Rorrim, "A souvenir shop?"

Rorrim's face contorted, surrounding itself with the familiar red hue everyone had grown accustomed to in such a short time. "Better a souvenir shop than whatever pet store inspired YOU!"

Hoggle watched their spat with annoyance, then shushed everyone when he noticed how silent the room had gotten. No one was laughing or playing anymore. Ludo had wrapped both arms around Toby, who stared ahead at something that was in front of the door.

"You're not the Goblin King!" Toby yelled as Rivan waltzed into the throne room and advanced towards the throne. He tilted his head mockingly and clicked his tongue.

"I am now, little boy. And that means you need to learn some respect!"


	12. Chapter 10 Remembrance

**A note from the author:**

I've been writing all day and I can't stop. I think if I keep this up I'll be finished with the story soon, which makes me so happy. I have an idea of how to wrap this up, but I'm going to mull it over before I go any further.

**Music to read to:** "War Sweater" by Wakey Wakey

**10. REMEMBRANCE**

* * *

Jareth kinked an eyebrow as Sarah lay breathless in his arms. "Forgetting something, Sarah? What are we forgetting?"

"The throne, Jareth. We have to get to the castle." she said.

Jareth tightened his grip around her and shook his head fiercely. "Forget the castle. Happy where I am."

Sarah laughed and pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Jareth, you know we can't quit."

Jareth sighed childishly. "Honestly, ruling this kingdom is the last thing I want to do... finishing this journey means you'll leave again. And it was torture for me the last time." he spoke, surprised at how frank he was being.

Sarah looked away. He was right. After this was all over, she would have to go home. And home wasn't even in the same realm as her Jareth. She shook her head. Now was not the time.

They stood up and brushed the grass from their bodies. Sarah blushed as the wind rustled her makeshift cover, revealing her bare legs and slight glimpses of other intimacies. Now that the moment between her and Jareth had passed, a hint of embarrassment returned to her at the thoughts of him seeing her naked again.

Jareth's eyes locked on this brief show, then darted his eyes back to hers and cleared his throat. "We can't go anywhere with you looking like this. You'll stand out way too much."

"Like your tights aren't flamboyant as hell." Sarah muttered under her breath.

"I heard that!" Jareth chuckled, all too aware that his choice of wardrobe left little, especially certain parts of his anatomy, to the imagination. He thought for a moment, then paused. He looked back at Sarah, grinned slyly, and grabbed at the corner of the cloak still wrapped loosely around her. Sarah gasped as she heard a loud rrrrrrip!

"Hey! What did you do that for? I thought the idea was for more modesty!" Sarah shrieked as she eyed the rip that ran it's way clear up to her hipbone.

"You'll find out in about three seconds." He answered with a knowing smile.

They waited. Sarah glanced in every direction, not quite knowing what to expect. Suddenly the air was filled with a strange whirring noise, and Sarah spotted something far off in the trees, barreling towards them. A tiny whirlwind was crashing through the thick vegetation, and they were directly in its path. Quicker than Sarah could blink, the whirlwind had made it to the clearing. As it died down, a tiny creature shot from its center and pinned Jareth against a nearby tree.

Sarah took in the sight of the strange creature silently as she backed a safe distance away. It was a strange, bird-like creature with bright red feathers and a large golden beak that was shaped similarly to that of a toucan. It was dressed in a strange frock that consisted of every imaginable pattern sewn in an intricate patchwork. On its head rested a top hat that doubled as a pincushin. Needles and pins stuck out from every inch of the cap, and Sarah shuddered as she silently wondered if the thing was actually sewed on.

"I told you to be more careful with this one!" The bird sqawked in a high-pitched, raspy voice. She looked in Sarah's direction and rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me, I don't even wanna know."

Jareth chuckled cautiously. "My apoligies, Maggie. I know you're a busy woman, but I had to get your attention."

The bird sniffed and let go, tumbling back to the ground. "It's Magnolia, your majesty." her tiny voice dripped with sarcasm as she bent over the cloak and examined the rip. Then, before Sarah could blink, the seamstress had already sewed the cloth back together perfectly. Visibly pleased with herself, her feathers puffed out and she stuck her beak in the air haughtily. "If that will be all..."

"Not quite, Magnolia... I was hoping that you would be so kind as to help out my traveling companion." Jareth smirked in amusement as he gestured towards Sarah once more. Magnolia sighed.

"Please, Maggie." Jareth implored. "We can't go further like this. Sarah needs something that is easy to move in... possibly with some sort of armor built in for protection."

Suddenly the bird's eyes widened and she hopped curiously over to where Sarah stood. Magnolia raked her shocked eyes over Sarah's face, then registered familiarity and chirped with excitement. "Oh my... Sarah! Well, why didn't you say so, Jareth? It would be an honor to serve you, Miss Sarah." she said before dipping into a low bow.

Sarah looked up with confusion to find Jareth shaking with laughter. She scowled and turned back to Magnolia, who was already busy measuring her for her new outfit. "I really do appreciate this, ma'am." Sarah spoke politely.

"Not at all, Miss Sarah! Now just come with me..."

Sarah followed Magnolia further into the trees, where she had enough privacy to remove Jareth's cloak. Magnolia folded it and set it to the side after eyeing it with a suspicious grin. Then she was moving again, whirling around Sarah until she was in the center of a whirlwind. She felt the weight of the fabric, and looked down with wide eyes as she saw the impossibly fast stitching that closed the cloth in around her like the zipper on a pair of jeans. Then she heard strange clanging sounds and grunted as bits of armor were slapped into place. In less than a minute the outfit was finished, and Sarah was left standing awkwardly, swaying from side to side and slightly green with nausea.

"All done!" Magnolia squawked at Jareth, who hurried towards them, anxious to see the results. He grinned with approval upon seeing her. "What do you think, Miss Sarah?" Magnolia asked eagerly as she whipped out a strange scroll-like instrument and shook it out, revealing it to be a full-length mirror.

Sarah stared open-mouthed. Her tunic and pants were made from a sleek, black fabric that covered her from ankle to neck. Lightweight silver armor covered her chest and stomach and exaggerated her shoulders, where a ruby-red cloak flowed down to matching steel-toed silver boots. "I look... cool!" Sarah squeaked with excitement as she hopped up and down.

"I was going to say you looked heroic... until you started doing that." Jareth said. Sarah quit bouncing and turned to Jareth to stick out her tongue at him playfully.

Magnolia puffed out her feathers again proudly. "Well, it looks like my work here is done! Pleasure to serve, Miss Sarah! Call me anytime!" And she was gone as fast as she came, disappearing in a tiny cloud of swirling dust.

She turned to Jareth, who was still raking his eyes over her. "You really do look heroic... and very, very sexy." he growled as he gathered her back into his arms and kissed her sensuously.

"Are we close to the castle now?" Sarah spoke against his lips. He groaned.

"We are... if we keep going north we will make it to the passages of reality.

"Passages of reality? That sounds mystical!" Sarah chirped.

Jareth twisted his face slightly. "Erm... I don't think so, Sarah. You've actually been there before already."

* * *

Rivan stormed towards the throne , pushing aside the feeble attempts of the group that dared to stand in his way. Hoggle was thrown against the wall, followed by Sir Didymus and Ambrosius. "I'm really sick of that guy throwing me around." Hoggle grimaced in pain as he watched Rivan near the empty seat.

Suddenly Toby took off in the direction of the throne.

"Toby! Stop!" cried out Hoggle, but words fell on deaf ears. Toby threw his little body in Rivan's path, and clambered his way up onto the throne.

* * *

"I hate this place." Sarah groaned as she pushed her way past the familiar piles of garbage she'd lost herself in all those years ago. Sadly enough, most of the piles of trash were things she'd recognized, things she'd thrown away long ago, and even things she'd wished for but never received.

"Exactly why does all this trash somehow pertain to me?" she asked Jareth as they wound their way towards the castle.

"Sarah, everything about this land pertains to you." Jareth answered calmly.

Sarah stopped in her tracks. "What do you mean?"

Jareth smiled and took her hands in his. "Sarah, you created this. Us. Everything."

"E... everything?" She choked. But she didn't need an answer. Of course she'd created a world out of her imagination. She was just about loony enough to do something like that. Come to think of it, she'd never really lived in the real world throughout her life. Everything always seemed like a fantasy to her, and her toys, books and playtime was the sanctuary in which she truly belonged.

"So that means that... I created you too."

Jareth nodded and smiled.

"Heh... so I actually managed to create my soul mate." she paused, drinking in the power of the last word. Jareth seemed to bask in that term as well, and pulled her against him fiercely. She opened her eyes in mid-kiss, locking gaze with him as he broke free and pressed his lips to her forehead. She rested her head on his shoulder and lazily fixed her eyes on the nearest mountain of her rejects.

Suddenly, a gleam caught her attention. She pulled away from Jareth and advanced towards it. When she was close, she recognized it as her locket, one she'd lost years ago. "Oh my God! I've been looking for this forever!" she exclaimed, ripping it from the pile and clutching it to her chest. She stared forward and reached, extracting another familiar trinket. It was a stuffed dog, with shaggy white fur and patches of grey.

The memories began hitting them like mack trucks. "Ambrosius!" they spoke in unison. Jareth picked up an old toy fox. "Sir Didymus!" The memories widened. There was more. They knew it. They began digging into the piles with both hands. A copy of Where the Wild Things Are. "Ludo!" A fairy tale book with a detailed drawing of a funny little gnome. "Hoggle!"

They were still there. And they were still alive somewhere.

A sudden, indescribably pain quickly hit Sarah, and she reached into her pocket to pull out the locket once more. She opened it and the pain hit her threefold. Inside was a tiny picture of her brother. Suddenly she knew.

"Oh God... Toby."


	13. Chapter 11 The End

**A note from the author:**

I've been awake all night thinking about this story, and after about two straight hours at my laptop, I'm ready to present to you the conclusion of my very first full-length fanfic. The conclusion consists of two parts, so don't claw my eyes out until you get to the end. And whatever you do, don't jump to conclusions. Things aren't always what they seem in this place.

**- Vampirateloyal**

**THE END**

* * *

Rivan and the others froze as Toby sat upon the throne. They waited for something, though they weren't sure what. They were expecting some sort of glow or visible barrier to surround him, to magically shock or throw anyone or anything that dared to draw near it. They expected sound, theatrics. But there was none.

"Dear Toby. What did I say about respecting your elders?" Cackled Rivan. He reached forward and grabbed Toby from the throne, who kicked and screamed in loud protest. Rivan shook his head. "Bad little children go into time-out. And do you know what happens to boys in time-out here?"

"Go away!" Toby shrieked.

"Wrong!" Rivan replied in a mocking sing-song tone. He pulled the child close enough to whisper into his ear, "They turn into little goblins."

Toby, without fear or reservation, spit directly into Rivan's eyes. In disgust, Rivan dropped Toby and wiped at his eyes fiercely. "You damned little brat! I'll -"

"You'll what? Tell his mommy?" Taunted Rorrim from his post as Toby ran to Hoggle and helped the gnome to his feet.

Rivan spun on his heels to face Rorrim, who looked on passively, as if he were bored of the event entirely. "What, you have nothing to say here? You don't want any of the glory?"

Hoggle, who was helping a limping Sir Didymus onto his loyal steed, stopped to stare in Rorrim's direction. "Glory? What glory?" he growled through clenched teeth. Somehow, he'd all but seen this one coming.

Rorrim bounced back and forth in his roomless globe before finally spinning to show his opposite side: a twisted, frozen look of anger. "Do you prefer this side while I explain? Or - " he whirled again to show his mocking grin, "This side?"

Hoggle advanced towards the globe, his fists clenched. "Doesn't matter. I'll black out your eyes on both sides."

Sarah and Jareth finally reached the courtyard, breathless from all of their running. "I'll be happy when you get your powers back! It would have been nice to get here by crystal!" Sarah gasped as braced herself against a nearby wall and gulped in several lungfuls of air.

"You and I both." Jareth agreed as he stared around him, trying to decide the best route to the throne room without the threat of being seen. By the silent streets and dead winds carrying no sounds other than the occasional whimper from within the walls of the kingdom, Jareth made a quick guess that Rivan had beaten them here.

"Sarah, follow me this way." he instructed. Sarah stood straight, squared her shoulders and marched alongside him into the unknown.

"So not only are you a liar, you're in the market to get us all killed." Hoggle answered Rorrim, each word from his mouth dripping with pure rage.

Rivan cackled and braced his hands on his hips triumphantly. "It was quite brilliant, really! You see, your little friend here seems to have a slight connection with The End. Now, I was starting to believe that I'd never make it here. But my new friend here certainly has a way with directions. Pretty simple to get lost when The End is blocking every correct path to the castle. But my little two-faced buddy gave me a path straight through!"

The deceiving face within the orb nodded. "It does seem that way, doesn't it old friend?"

"Oh yes." Rivan replied, chuckling softly to himself.

"So tell me, what exactly is keeping you from taking your seat at the throne then? Enough with the theatrics now. Take a seat!"

"Good idea!" he stole one last look towards the helpless group cowering in the corner. They looked in horror, but not at him. It was what was behind him. He slowly turned, and wished instantly that he hadn't, for the blinding abyss of nothing was staring straight back.

Rivan covered his eyes and yelped, then turned angrily to face Rorrim, who once again bounced merrily from side to side, sporting his mocking grin. "Didn't see that one coming, did you, CHAP?"

"Why you little..."

"Hello, brother."

Toby's eyes widened. Hoggle stumbled and fell to the floor. Ludo roared in excitement.

"Jareth!!! Sarah!!" They all cheered as the brave twosome stood before them, facing Rivan with weapons drawn.

Sarah locked eyes with her little brother, startled. "Toby! What are you doing here?"

"Saving the castle, Sawa!" Toby announced proudly.

"You're too late Jareth," Rivan taunted his brother, braving another quick glance behind his shoulder into The End. "There's no throne to steal from me now. And your greed will now lead to your demise."

"Oh, will it now?" Jareth replied with disbelief. He clucked his tongue and glanced behind him to throw Rorrim a quick nod. "Thanks for the favor."

Before anyone had time to react, Jareth lunged forward with his sword drawn. Rivan dodged quickly and grabbed his own sword, ripping it from it's sheath.

The clang of metal was almost as unsettling as the intense blindness felt by all who looked on as the room began to shrink, surrounded on all sides by the familiar glare of The End. Everyone shrank from the walls, drawing closer and closer to the fight as the brothers raged on, battling to the deaths as doom shielded them all from any hopes of escape.

Sarah ran to Toby and grabbed him in her arms. She looked wildly around the room for a passage, a crack, anything to escape through. There was nothing. A sudden cry was heard as she turned just in time to see Ludo, Didymus and Hoggle swallowed once again by the abyss. The walls encroached even faster, the floor crumbling away inch by inch until it was at Sarah's heels.

"Wish yourself home!" Jareth screamed at Toby, casting one last glance at Sarah. Their eyes met, and he tried to mouth something that she couldn't quite make out. Sarah let out tortured scream as she watched him grab a tight hold on Rivan and use the last of his strengh to plunge the both of them headfirst into The End.

"Toby! Wish, now!" Sarah choked, desperate to save the life she held in her arms at that moment. She felt the breath of The End tickling the nape of her neck and the tortured whisper of her brother's wish, ripping them from the world she'd built, just to watch fall down.

* * *

And the world had fallen down. Nothing sang, nothing moved, nothing lived except for one tiny glimmer. A small sphere with a comical mask still smiling in the center.


	14. Chapter 12 The Beginning

**A note from the author:**

And finally, the last chapter is in place. *Sighs happily*. It's been quite a journey.

Music for the conclusion: gotta go with Bethany Joy's "Feel This". It played in the background for almost the entire time I was writing it. Enjoy!

**- Vampirateloyal**

**THE BEGINNING**

* * *

Sarah jolted from her sleep, another nightmare she couldn't remember. She felt a familiar tugging at the corner of her bedsheet, and reached to pull Toby onto the bed. "Another one, huh?" Sarah asked her younger brother as she swept a blonde curl to the side. He nodded and crawled closer, snuggling against Sarah as she wrapped him up in the warm quilt Karen had made her for Christmas last year.

It had been such a daunting month, so full of stress and restlessness for both herself and her brother. Since the night that Karen and Roger found Sarah sitting wordlessly beside Toby's bed, holding his small hand and sobbing quietly, they'd taken extra precautions with her. They insisted that she stay in bed for the first couple of weeks, until Sarah's protests could no longer be heard. Doctors diagnosed her with an intense short-term amnesia, and told Roger that it would be a complete miracle if Sarah ever remembered the traumatic events of her disappearance. While it was still anyone's guess, the couple felt this was for the best, as they could only imagine what poor Sarah had been through.

If only they knew. If only they could understand that Sarah's world had literally been ripped apart. But no one knew this, not Karen or Roger, not Toby, not even Sarah. That world was gone now, with nary a memory to keep it alive. The effects of The End had acted too quickly, and it wasn't long before both memories had been wiped clean.

Towards the third week, Sarah was almost back to normal, save for the dreams. Both Toby and Sarah were always tired, and complained of strange nightmares that they couldn't remember when they awoke. Physicians argued Sarah's sleeping patterns as a symptom of post-traumatic stress. But Toby? Perhaps some type of sympathy illness? Of course not. But who could know the true problem.

* * *

"Sarah, telephone call!" Karen yelled up the stairs. Sarah trampled down the steps and yanked the phone from her stepmother's grip. "Gee, you're welcome!" Karen snapped, but lingered to see what she was so anxious about.

"Hi Tom. No way... seriously? How did you manage tickets to Romeo & Juliet??? Oh my God! No WAY! Oh my GOD! Yes, I'll see you then. Goodbye!"

Karen chuckled as Sarah hung up the phone and began jumping up and down. "Well, looks like you're finally back to normal."

"Romeo & Juliet! Can you believe it? I've always wanted to see that!"

"You and your fairytales." Karen sighed happily, relieved at Sarah's improvement. "Speaking of which, I have something I want to show you!" She grabbed Sarah's hand and dragged her into the office, where large stack of papers were stacked lopsidedly. "I was going through this ridiculous filing cabinet earlier today, and I found something adorable that Toby drew for you a while back.

Sarah grinned. She loved Toby's drawings, though sometimes his drawings of her were all but flattering. It made her feel so important, being the object of artistic depiction so often in life, even if they were drawings done by a four-year old. She reached forward as Karen plucked the drawing from the top of the stack and handed it to her.

Sarah stared at the parchment, her eyebrows crinkling together in confusion, then softening in slow realization.

"I thought this one was interesting. Where do you suppose he comes up with characters so strange? And the man at the end with the long hair? Looks like one of the rock musicians you're always watching on MTV... don't you think Sarah? .... Sarah? Honey?"

Sarah snapped her eyes away from the photo. "Sorry, I'm fine. I'll um... I'll go put this on the fridge."

* * *

The door slammed shut as Sarah quickly marched in the direction of the park. Something strange was happening to her. She was being guided by an invisible hand, and something was starting to come back to her, something important. She was ready for answers, whether they were good or bad. She couldn't live like this anymore.

Her boots finally hit the soft tufts of grass that covered the park a mere seven blocks from her home. She ran to her favorite oak tree and sat underneath it, waiting patiently for something familiar to hit her.

...Nope, just the same old park.

_But wasn't there something here?_ She thought to herself. _You used to spend hours at a time here. You read a story..._

She shifted to tuck her legs underneath her, and yelped as something sharp poked her from the base of the tree. She peered into a small groove at the roots. It was a book. A small book with a red cover. She smoothed the dirt from the cover and gasped softly at the title. _Of course... The Labyrinth._

Her heart leapt inside of her chest. She looked around her before cracking the book open, as if the pages of the volume contained a deep, dark secret. She began to read, the threads of her memory intwining with each word:

_For the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl...._

_"I wish that the Goblins would come and take you away"...._

_"Please. It's not that I don't appreciate what you're trying to do, but I want my brother back!"...._

_"You have thirteen hours in which to solve this labyrinth before your baby brother becomes one of us forever."...._

_"Through dangers unhold and hardships unnumbered."...._

_"To take back the child"...._

_"You have no power over me!!!"_

The memories were finally released as she read the final passage. The twists and turns, the Bog of Eternal Stench, the peach, Sir Didymus and Ambrosius, Ludo, Hoggle, Jareth...

She clapped the book shut and looked around her wildly. Her world. Where was her world!?! She stood up and, in her haste, dropped the novel. She bent down to pick it up with shaking hands, and discovered a scrap of paper hidden inside of it. She unfolded the scrap to find a note scrawled in black ink:

_My dearest Sarah,_

_My congratulations on the successful discovery of your world once more. I knew it wouldn't take long to retrieve your thoughts, and find us once again. You may wonder where your friends are. If you have read this far, you no doubt remember everything. They are fine, save and alive in our realm and in your memory. P__lease understand _ that I did not want such difficulty in capturing Jareth's mirror. His dear brother was sentenced to isolation in the mirror realm years ago, and I was instructed to do whatever I must to keep him from escaping his fate. I made a deal with the king, a deal that I would not break under any circumstances. I would not have gone to such great lengths if I did not have such an intense faith in you. You are a true hero, Sarah Williams. And I give all of my best wishes for a true happy ending.

_Respectfully your dutiful servant,_

_Rorrim_

Sarah lowered the letter and glanced towards the sky. _Jareth_, the voice in her head called out to him. _Jareth... my Jareth. _

She smiled knowingly as the winds changed and she felt his strong arms enclose around her. She tilted her head and met his lips over her shoulder, and he carefully turned her in mid-kiss to face him. She opened her eyes to meet her favorite mismatched, soul-baring gaze. "Jareth!" she breathed, a smile playing on her lips and her cheeks coloring for the first time in weeks.

"I knew you'd never forget me." Jareth whispered.

"You're too much of a pain to forget." Sarah teased.

Jareth smiled. "Shall we go home?"

Sarah snuggled more tightly against his chest, burying her face in his shoulder. "I'm already home." she answered.

* * *

"Time for bed, Toby!" Sarah called out to her little brother. Toby shuffled into his room and jumped into bed, where his big sister awaited him with a story.

"What are we reading tonight, Sawa?" he asked her impatiently, peering over her shoulder to see the content of the pages.

"Yes Sarah, what are we reading tonight?" echoed a mischievious voice from behind Sarah. She jumped and then shook her head in amusement as Jareth plopped down on the edge of Toby's twin bed. "What, a Goblin King can't listen to a bedtime story?" he asked as he leaned forward, propping his elbows against his knees and sinking his chin into his hands.

Sarah cleared her throat after throwing Jareth a mock look of annoyance. She began to read lines that always brought her nostalgia; lines from "Where the Wild Things Are". Jareth reached forward and pulled Toby onto his lap as they listened to her read. Sarah reached towards Jareth and clasped her hand in his.

As her voice echoed softly throughout the room, listeners not only from this realm, but the next, sat intently on the opposite side of Toby's full-length mirror. Familiar faces peered happily into the cozy room, ready for another adventure that is easily found by losing oneself in a story.

**THE END (it wanted to hear the story too)**


End file.
